Vaping, commonly known as “vape,” has increased at a higher rate in modern societies. Vaping is the exercise of water vapor inhalation by the use of vaporizer also known as an e-cigarette. Electronic cigarettes are “battery-operated devices designed to deliver nicotine with flavorings and other chemicals to users in a vapor instead of smoke.” Vaping is more beneficial compared to the traditional methods of smoking; these benefits include; minimizes the occurrence of cancer, bad breath, and smell are eliminated, minimizes cigarette burns, and more other smoking-related health issues. E-cigarette manufacturers advertise these devices by making the public believe that it’s a safer mode of smoking as opposed to the traditional methods. However, most people don’t know the health risks associated with this mode of smoking.

Since there is no much information available to researchers on the effects of vaping, most studies are based on comparison to the traditional modes of smoking. Cigarettes smoking has adverse effects on smokers’ bodies and is associated with high mortality rates in the United States. Data collected has shown that smoking has been responsible for more than 400,000 annually, a trend that is disturbing to the researchers. Therefore, there is a need to prevent smoking regardless of the means used to smoke. This paper will look into some of the adverse effects of vaping on smokers.

Most researchers believe that E-cigarettes were introduced into the market to help smoking addicts quit the habit and to some extent, this has worked. In Britain, a survey was carried out involving 6,000 workers who were smokers. The researchers wanted to find out whether vaping was an effective way of helping smoking addicts quit. The results were encouraging; it was found that most smokers who used vaping as a method of quitting traditional smoking were successful as compared to those who tried to use other means such as buying over the counter drugs. Since that survey was carried out to voluntary participants, it was also found that e-cigarettes worked even for those who never wanted to quit smoking.

Smoking has adverse effects on the lungs, especially when smoked at a long-term. The use of tobacco, which contains nicotine is responsible for these effects. Nicotine is the cause of addiction to smokers. When the nicotine chemical is combusted, it releases many elements into the smoker’s body which leave adverse effects such as lung and throat cancers. This is what led the e-cigarette manufacturers to come up with a new mode of smoking, that is, vaping.

E-cigarettes emulates the actual act of tobacco smoking by “producing an appealingly flavored aerosol that looks and feels like tobacco smoke and delivers nicotine but with less of the toxic chemicals produced by burning tobacco leaves.” Vaping involves no combustion of tobacco; hence; the delivery of nicotine is less toxic which makes it look safer to smokers.

In making e-liquid using in e-cigarette devices, some materials are used. These materials include; organic vegetable glycerin (VG) which is certified.  This has fewer flavors but produces much vapor that helps in satisfying the smokers. Another component used is propylene glycol (PG) which contains more flavors for inhalation. Studies conducted have not concluded the long-term effects of using these components that require the raising of alarm. These components may have side effects; however, that makes vaping hazardous to smokers.

Most flavors used in making E-liquid come from a mixture of components made of many chemical compounds; there is a likelihood that such combinations may have health risks to smokers. Most of these flavors were meant to be consumed by eating and not through inhalation. Some e-liquids are known to be made of diketones like diacetyl. The consumption in large quantities of these flavoring chemical compounds is known for causing popcorn lung (bronchiolitis obliterans). Despite the efforts by e-liquid manufactures trying to eliminate such diketones in their products, there is no proof that the threat is completely removed. This makes it a disadvantage to use E-cigarettes as a form of smoking.

There are oral health problems that are associated with smoking especially the throat and mouth cancers. Dental diseases, such as gingival or gum disorders, is associated with smoking. There is no substantial evidence of oral health problems related to vaping according to (Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine). However, this literature review has findings of interest. These findings include;

Vapors are associated with nicotine stomatitis, an oral disorder whose cause is not related to nicotine. The creation of lesions in the mouth by heat is the cause of this disorder. The authors of the journal also found that there had been an accidental explosion of vapes. This was brought by the use of ineffective batteries that left the smokers with broken teeth or deformed mouths. These findings have negative implications on the use of vaping.

There have been traces of Carcinogens in some vapes which pose the risk of cancer to E-cigarette users. Toxics in the body causes the DNA cells to mutate which makes it spread to the body or remain at a particular place. This is the concept most people have of smoking and its relation to causing cancer. Although the occurrence of cancer by the use of these vapors is equal to the use of pharmaceutical products such as nicotine patches, overheating of vape devices pose a risk of carbonyls which increases the risk of cancer occurrence. This also is a negative implication of vaping.