The influence on people’s health of smoking and vaping are always under debate and the most worrying part is, are e-cigarettes really less harmful to the human body? Nevertheless, e-cigarettes are designed to be one of the NRTs(nicotine replacement therapy) for smokers or ex-smokers to quit smoking, thus it is necessary to be clear about the differences and impact on the body between smoking and vaping.

Nowadays there are more and more people joining in the vaping parade to kick smoking out of their life, and the reason is obvious - “vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking” Public Health England (PHE) officially declared in 2015. However, 95% safer doesn’t mean vaping is harmless, so today let’s talk about the real risks that vaping may bring to our bodies.

Smoking and Vaping to your oral health

Smoking leads to a number of oral health problems, smokers are at high risk for mouth, throat and esophageal cancers. Besides, cigarettes also contribute to periodontal disease. And smoking can change the bacterial ecology in the mouth, causing existing oral problems worse.

However, there isn’t sufficient research and evident prove to show the medical side effects of vaping on oral health. But there is a small pilot research that studied the oral microbiota among 10 vapers, 10 smokers, and 10 non-vapers/smokers. The researchers found that the microbiota profile of vapers was similar to the non-vaping/smoking control group, but that the smoking group’s oral microbiota profile was quite different. The researchers concluded that vaping doesn’t alter the microbiota. However, the study was too small to draw significant conclusions.

The other catastrophic accident that vaping may do to your oral health is a battery explosion. There were some rare cases that people got severe facial and oral lacerations and broken teeth because of the vape exploding. However, this is more about battery safety and electrical safety - most vape explosions are caused by powerful mechanical mods which are powered by external batteries and used by novice vapers. This kind of accident can be totally avoided by using modern mods with intelligent chips and smart mode.

Smoking and Vaping to your Lungs

No doubt, smoking is most well-known for doing damage to your lungs, and long-term smoking can lead to lung cancer, and to a variety of severe lung conditions like chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The burnt cigarette contains thousands of chemicals and more than 70 of which are carcinogens, such as carbon monoxide and tar. Some harmful substances are particles include tobacco residue and burnt papers, and these particles will pile up in your lungs, eventually leading to a variety of lung diseases.

Vaping doesn’t produce any particles or large amounts of carcinogens as smoking does, most significantly harmful substances in smoking are absent from vaping as a matter of fact, such as carbon monoxide and tar. The ingredients of e-liquid are rather simple - VG, PG, flavouring, and nicotine(optional). So far, no evidence showing that VG and PG would do serious harm to the human body, but PG can irritate the mouth and throat.

What’s more, some e-liquid flavourings are regarded unsafe and some countries have banned the flavored vapes as a result. Diketones are the substances that cause a deadly disease called popcorn lung, which was due to the improper ratio of e-liquid. And it can be totally avoided, so many vape manufacturers revised their products and make the diketones in extremely small amounts that can hardly do any harm to the body.

Smoking can lead to cancer, what about vaping?

Smoking is bad for your body from head to toe. Most people know that smoking is a significant cause of lung cancer, and lung cancer kills more people than any other kind of cancer in the world, and most lung cancer victims are smokers or ex-smokers.

However, carcinogens are found in vaping, as well, but at a rather low level that hardly can lead to cancer. According to the study in the journal Tobacco Control, the cancer risk of vaping is equivalent to the risk posed by pharmaceutical products such as nicotine gum and nicotine patches - less than one percent the cancer risk of smoking.

For the sake of health, should I switch from smoking to vaping?

According to the detailed information provided by FDA: “different tobacco products, however, pose varying levels of health risk to users. Combustible products that burn tobacco, like a cigarette, are the most harmful to a user’s health, while non-combustible products, such as e-cigarettes, may be less harmful.” Therefore, the result is clear to see, vaping is harmful but it is much less harmful than smoking. If you are a heavy smoker who has a strong need for nicotine and wants to quit smoking for a healthier lifestyle, go for a qualified vape product, it can be a compact and convenient disposable vape, an economic-friendly pod system, or a versatile pod mod vape kit. Whatever you choose, it would be worth your while since it can not only satisfy the nicotine cravings fast but also bring you a healthier lifestyle.