Vaping and smoking are both practices that involve inhaling substances that can harm your health. Vaping uses devices that heat a liquid containing nicotine and other chemicals to produce a vapor that is inhaled. Smoking uses tobacco products that burn and release nicotine and other toxins that are inhaled. Both vaping and smoking can cause damage to the lungs, heart, blood vessels, brain, and other organs. Here is a short article about the potential health risks of vaping and smoking:
▪ Vaping and Smoking: What Are the Potential Health Risks?
Vaping and smoking are common habits among adults and youth around the world. According to the World Health Organization, the number of users of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the world reached about 41 million people in 2018, and is expected to reach 55 million people by 2021¹. Some people promote vaping as a way to help quit smoking, or as a less harmful alternative to traditional smoking. But are these benefits supported by scientific evidence? And what are the potential health risks of vaping and smoking?
Vaping relies on using devices that heat a liquid that contains nicotine and other chemicals, such as glycerin, propylene glycol, and artificial flavors, to produce a vapor that is inhaled. This vapor contains fine particles and toxic substances, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that can cause damage to the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and brain²³.
▪ Vaping is associated with an increased risk of developing many health problems, such as:
- Lung inflammation: Vaping can cause inflammation of the lungs and airways, causing coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, sore throat, and sinus infections. It can also increase the risk of lung infections, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and pleurisy.
- Heart and blood vessel diseases: Vaping can raise the heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the stress on the heart. It can also cause narrowing and hardening of the blood vessels, reducing the blood flow to the vital organs. This can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and sudden death.
- Addiction and dependence: Nicotine in vaping liquids causes addiction, leading to dependence on it. This can make it harder to quit smoking, and increase the risk of returning to traditional smoking. Nicotine can also affect the growth and development of the brain, especially in young people and teenagers, impairing memory, attention, learning, and mood.
Smoking, unlike vaping, which is relatively new, has years of research to fully back up claims that it is harmful to human health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking causes:
- damage to every organ in the body
- more than 480,000 deaths a year in the United States
- 90% of all lung cancer deaths
- about 80% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- an increased risk of death
- an increased risk of developing health conditions, such as heart disease and stroke
▪ Smoking has many long-term adverse effects on the body. The CDC reports that smoking:
- reduces sperm count
- increases the risk of pregnancy loss or birth defects
- increases the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration
- weakens the immune system and makes it harder to fight infections
- causes bad breath, stained teeth, and gum disease
- ages the skin and causes wrinkles
Therefore, it can be said that vaping and smoking are not safe or healthy choices, and that they carry potential health risks in the short and long term. It is better to avoid vaping and smoking, or to seek help from a doctor or counselor to quit. It is also necessary to increase awareness of the harms of vaping and smoking, especially among young people and teenagers, who are the most vulnerable to these harmful habits.
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