Can Vaping Cause Lung Cancer or Other Diseases?

Content medically reviewed by Eric Swanson, DO

You likely already know that smoking can cause lung cancer (as well as a host of other health problems), and quitting is one of the best things you can do for your health. And if you are working on quitting, you might think that vaping, or using e-cigarettes, is a healthier alternative. But can vaping cause lung cancer as well, and what are the long-term health effects?

“There is still much we don’t know about the effects of vaping on health,” said Eric Swanson, DO, pulmonologist at Essentia Health. “Vaping products have not been available long enough for researchers to fully understand the health implications. But we already know that it can cause lung injury, and there is increasing concern that vaping could be linked to lung cancer.”

The Dangers of Tobacco

All products made from tobacco also contain nicotine, a chemical compound found in the tobacco plant. Nicotine is highly addictive, as it changes your brain chemistry and triggers cravings for it. However, while nicotine is what keeps people smoking cigarettes and using other tobacco products, it’s the tobacco itself that causes health problems.

“While e-cigarettes are generally safer than traditional cigarettes for adults who smoke, it’s important to understand that vaping can also harm your health,” Dr. Swanson said. “Vaping products also contain nicotine, and there is no such thing as a safe tobacco product.”

Tobacco contains a toxic mix of chemicals that, over time, lead to serious, often fatal lung diseases, including cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Tobacco use is also strongly linked to many other health conditions, including heart attack and stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking cigarettes causes harm to nearly every organ in your body.

All tobacco products can be harmful, but products that are smoked, like cigarettes, are the most dangerous. A single cigarette delivers more than 7,000 harmful chemicals. When you breathe in cigarette smoke, these chemicals quickly hit your lungs and are then carried throughout your body in your blood. Cigarette smoke also contains deadly carbon monoxide, which deprives your organs of oxygen.

If you are an adult who smokes, switching completely to e-cigarettes can reduce your exposure to many of these chemicals. However, if you don’t currently use any tobacco products, you should not start using any, including e-cigarettes.

Vaping can have a particularly harmful effect on younger people. Unfortunately, the use of vaping products has become increasingly popular among adolescents. The CDC reports 1.63 million middle and high school students in the United States use e-cigarettes.

“People in this age group are especially vulnerable due to social pressures, flavored products, and addictive nicotine,” Dr. Swanson said. “For adolescents, nicotine can damage the part of the brain that controls learning, attention, impulse control, and mood. Their brains are still developing, which puts them at higher risk for nicotine addiction.”

How Vaping Can Affect Your Lungs

When you vape, you inhale an aerosol created when the e-cigarette heats the liquid inside. This liquid contains toxic chemicals, many of which are known to cause lung disease, as well as metals and other tiny particles that you inhale deep into your lungs when you vape.

One substance found in many e-cigarettes is diacetyl, a chemical once used to add the buttery flavor to microwave popcorn. Manufacturers stopped using diacetyl in food products after its fumes caused many people to develop a serious lung condition called bronchiolitis obliterans. Commonly known as “popcorn lung,” the disease causes scarring on the tiny air sacs in the lungs, narrowing the airways. People with popcorn lung experience symptoms similar to COPD, including shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing.

Other notable harmful chemicals found in e-cigarettes include –

• Acrolein, an herbicide that can cause irreversible lung damage
• Benzene, a volatile organic compound found in car exhaust
• Diethylene glycol, a toxic substance used in antifreeze

A new disease called EVALI, which stands for e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury, is another danger of vaping. Symptoms of EVALI include –

• Chest pain
• Cough
• Dizziness
• Fever and chills
• Headache
• Rapid heart rate
• Shortness of breath
• Vomiting and diarrhea

These symptoms mimic those of other respiratory diseases, so diagnosis is made by eliminating other causes. A chest X-ray or CT scan can also reveal whether there is tissue damage. Most people who have been diagnosed with EVALI have been hospitalized, and in some cases, the disease has been fatal.

Researchers are working to determine the exact cause of this disease. Vitamin E acetate, added to some e-cigarettes containing THC, is strongly linked to EVALI, but experts are continuing to study other possible causes.

Can Vaping Cause Lung Cancer?

More research is needed to fully understand the link between vaping and lung cancer. But researchers are becoming increasingly convinced of a connection. A recent study found 500 different chemicals in vaping cartridges, and most were determined to be carcinogens.

“It will take years of study to determine the extent of the risk between vaping and lung cancer,” Dr. Swanson said. “But experts are continuing to uncover evidence that long-term exposure to the chemicals in e-cigarettes poses great health risks, including possible links to lung cancer.”

For these reasons, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any vaping products as tools to help people quit smoking. If you need help quitting, you can try any of the seven medicines approved by the FDA for smoking cessation.In addition, if you have switched from smoking cigarettes to vaping, it’s also important to make a plan to quit vaping to help protect your health. Avoiding all tobacco products is the best way to avoid lung diseases and other health conditions caused by tobacco.

If you are a current or former smoker, talk to your doctor about whether lung cancer screening is right for you.