The truth about vaping

Walk down any busy street and you’re likely to encounter someone puffing a vape, also known as an e-cigarette.

Vaping is a modern trend that developed as an alternative to cigarette smoking.

As e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, you might assume they’re a healthier option. But in reality, like traditional smoking, vaping has a range of addictive and harmful properties.

Here, we look at the basics of vaping, including the risks it can pose to your health.

The term ‘vaping’ comes from the vapour that’s produced when a gel-like liquid is heated up and inhaled out of an e-cigarette. This vapour often contains dangerous and addictive substances, such as nicotine and certain chemicals.

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that can look like pens, USB sticks or even regular cigarettes.

The growing popularity of vaping, particularly among young Australians, may in part be attributed to the colourful packaging, range of flavours and social media appeal that products are often marketed around.¹

Vapes are also typically cheaper than traditional cigarettes.

It is illegal to sell any vaping products in Australia to anyone without a prescription.²

While vaping might provide a last-line tool to combat nicotine addiction for some current smokers looking to quit (via a medically prescribed and supervised process), there is not enough evidence to support the claim that e-cigarettes are an effective tool to stop smoking.³

In fact, the opposite may be true. Research suggests that people who vape are around 3 times more likely to go on to smoke tobacco cigarettes than non-vapers.⁴

As the long-term effects of vaping have yet to emerge, it’s difficult to know if e-cigarettes are any safer than combustible cigarettes.

Still, what is known is that, like cigarette smoking, vaping is neither safe nor healthy.⁵

The risks of vaping include: ²

• nicotine addiction
• breathing problems
• permanent lung damage
• persistent coughing
• vomiting
• nausea
• chest pain
• mouth and airway irritation
• poisoning and seizures
• harm to brain development for younger vapers
• injuries from exploding devices (such as burns).

According to the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, concerns have also emerged that nicotine vaping, like cigarette smoking, might increase your risk of lung disease, heart disease and cancer.²

And, like cigarette smoking, vaping can be harmful to people around you, as toxic chemicals are released through exhaled vapour or even by coming into contact with un-vaporised liquid.

For context, some of the cancer-causing agents that can be found in vaping products (including some non-nicotine e-cigarettes) include:

• formaldehyde (otherwise used for preserving human corpses)
• acetone (which you’ll commonly find in nail polish)
• acetaldehyde (used in plastics)
• acrolein (a common weedkiller ingredient)
• heavy metals (including nickel, tin and lead).²

As many e-cigarettes contain nicotine, they are certainly addictive. In fact, research shows that nicotine may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine.⁶

What’s worse, some vaping products provide extra-strength nicotine, while others even let vapers increase the voltage of their e-cigarette, providing a larger dose of nicotine than regular cigarettes.

If you vape or smoke, quitting will reduce your risk of harm.⁷ You can reach out to a qualified health professional such as your GP for support. Alternatively, contact Quitline for support at any time.

Quitline can provide more information about the health benefits of stopping smoking, and tips to help you quit. Visit them online or call 13 78 48.

The National Alcohol and Other Drugs Hotline is available 24/7 and provides free and confidential counselling and advice on 1800 250 015.