Why vapes aren’t a safe smoking alternative

A vape, also called an e-cigarette, is an electronic device that heats a liquid solution, called “e-juice,” into an aerosol that is inhaled.7 These devices come in all shapes and sizes, and by design, the majority are meant to be thrown away after single or short-term use. Some vape products have replaceable pods or cartridges pre-filled with e-juice.89 

Most vape e-juice contains dangerous substances including nicotine, cancer-causing chemicals, and heavy metals.1011 Many also contain kid-friendly flavors that mask the harsh taste of this harmful mixture.1012 In 2022, Californians overwhelmingly voted to uphold a law ending the sale of flavored tobacco products, including vapes, in retail stores. Flavored vapes are still available for sale online in California.13 

Vapes are full of toxic chemicals that can harm the mind and body:10

• Nicotine – a poison that is highly addictive and impacts brain development.141516
• Benzene – a cancer-causing chemical commonly found in car exhaust.14 
• Formaldehyde – a cancer-causing chemical found in most glues and paints.17
• Acrolein – herbicide used to kill weeds and irritates lungs even when inhaled in low doses.17 

And it doesn’t end there. Heavy metals like lead, chromium, cadmium, and nickel are inhaled with every puff and may increase the risk of cancer.

With a list of ingredients composed of so many harmful substances, it is clear that vapes are unsafe, posing severe health risks to those who use these products.10

Your lungs: Vaping increases your risk of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, bronchitis, lipoid pneumonia, and may increase your risk of lung cancer.1122252627282930313233343536

Plus, vapes may cause “popcorn lung” which results in chronic coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and shortness of breath.2737

Vaping is associated with mental health challenges, including the nicotine in vapes changing the chemistry of the developing brain.38 Nicotine is a neurotoxin.394041 Research shows that vaping nicotine amplifies anxiety symptoms and feelings of depression.42434445 Vaping nicotine also increases mood swings and irritability, and is associated with increased learning difficulties.10144647

No, vapes are not a safe alternative to cigarettes. Vapes are dangerous and addictive devices used to inhale aerosolized nicotine, flavorings, and toxic chemicals, including heavy metals like lead, volatile organic compounds, and cancer-causing agents.1048 Vaping increases the risk of serious disease like stroke, and may increase the risk of lung cancer.113031323334353649 The truth is there are no safe alternatives to smoking because there is no such thing as a safe tobacco product.50

No. The evidence about using vapes to quit smoking is mixed at best. Vapes are consumer products sold by Big Tobacco to maximize profits.515253 They aren’t a pharmaceutical product designed to help people quit smoking.234 Although the FDA does have an approved list of cessation devices and medications to help tobacco users quit, vape products have not been approved or authorized to date. No matter what Big Tobacco’s rebrand says, they aren’t interested in helping people quit. They are interested in protecting their profits.

Many people who use vapes to help them quit cigarettes end up using both products, something called “dual use.”545556 Studies have shown that dual use of cigarettes and vapes is more harmful than just using one product alone.57

While there is some evidence that vapes, when used under strict clinical protocols for cessation, may have some success at helping people quit, the reality is when people use vapes as a consumer product only four out of 100 people who use cigarettes actually stopped smoking.58

Across all age groups in California, vaping is most common among young adults (18-25 years old), with a use rate of 12 percent.59 It’s no surprise this group vapes at higher rates than any other age group. They were in middle school and high school at the height of the youth vaping epidemic, when Big Tobacco targeted children with vapes that looked, tasted, and smelled like fruity candy.10 Thankfully, Californians voted to end the sale of flavored tobacco products in 2022, and while these dangerously addictive flavored vape products can no longer be sold in stores, the effects of the predatory marketing tactics that hooked this generation from a young age still impact young adults today.1013

While California has the lowest youth vaping rates in the US, vapes remain the products most used by high school students at 5.9 percent, compared to cigarettes at 1.2 percent and oral nicotine pouches, like Zyn, at 1.1 percent.6061

Additionally, Big Tobacco exploits racist and discriminatory systems that traumatize marginalized populations, preying on and profiteering off them and creating higher use and disease rates compared to the overall population.62 Vaping prevalence in California is higher among the LGBTQ+ community, communities of color, and people experiencing mental health challenges.59 As a result, these communities experience not just higher use but also higher tobacco-related disease rates compared to the overall population.62

Of the top five selling brands in September 2023 – Vuse, Juul, Breeze Smoke, Elfbar, and NJOY – three are owned by, or received significant investment from, Big Tobacco.63 Vuse is owned by R.J. Reynolds and NJOY was acquired by Altria, who previously held a minority ownership stake in Juul, Inc. until late 2022. Notably, Vuse, Juul, and NJOY together made up 72 percent of the total e-cigarette market in 2022.64

Big Tobacco funding their own research is one of the oldest tricks in their playbook.65 They are still actively applying this deceitful tactic today.