Which Is More Harmful: Vaping or Regular Cigarettes?

A friend just bought a vaping device with e-liquid, intending to quit smoking, as it is said that using this can reduce smoking. But is that really true? Many say that vaping is more harmful. Is that the case? Let’s analyze this for reference.

In fact, e-cigarettes are not completely harmless, but they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes; however, there is still debate about whether e-cigarettes can help with quitting smoking.

The Oxford English Dictionary selects a word of the year annually. In 2013, the word was "selfie"; in 2015, it was the amusing emoji; and in 2014, it was "vape," referring to e-cigarettes.

From 2010 to 2014, global e-cigarette sales surged. However, for most Chinese people, e-cigarettes remain a foreign and unfamiliar product. E-cigarettes are seen as a trendy foreign import, popular among a minority, even though they are largely invented and produced in China.

Most people only hear sporadic news about e-cigarettes. For example, in October 2018, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam stated in her policy address that Hong Kong would completely ban the sale of e-cigarettes; and e-cigarettes have become a popular entrepreneurial project in mainland China.

So, what exactly are e-cigarettes? Are they good or bad? Can e-cigarettes really help with quitting smoking?

E-cigarettes are harmful, but better than cigarettes

If you have ever searched for information about e-cigarette products, you may have seen some domestic merchants touting e-cigarettes as health products, claiming they are "healthy and harmless" and can "cleanse the lungs and detoxify."

You may have also seen other Chinese popular science articles listing various harms of e-cigarettes, with some even claiming, "E-cigarettes have a cancer rate 7 times higher than traditional cigarettes!"

Are e-cigarettes harmful? And are they more harmful than traditional cigarettes?

To answer these questions, we first need to understand the structure of e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes typically consist of two main parts: an electronic atomizer and a nicotine-containing liquid (e-liquid). These two parts are analogous to a pen and ink, or a syringe and medicine.

The principle of e-cigarettes is to vaporize the e-liquid to form nicotine vapor, which the user inhales like smoking. This item is also referred to as "vape" in English, and sometimes refers to a low-temperature heated tobacco product known as "IQOS," which will not be discussed here.

Vaping is not completely harmless

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assesses e-cigarettes as a new product, and the long-term health effects of their use are still unknown.

E-cigarettes typically contain nicotine, which is harmful to fetal development and cognitive development in individuals under 25 years of age.

In addition to nicotine, the aerosol from e-cigarettes is not completely harmless. It contains some tiny particles that may cause cancer and may also include some heavy metals and volatile compounds. Some studies have also indicated that e-cigarettes may increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.

However, although e-cigarettes are not as harmless as some merchants claim, they are significantly less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

Public health agencies in both the UK and the US have weighed the pros and cons and tend to believe that for smokers, e-cigarettes are better than traditional cigarettes.

In 2015, Public Health England (PHE) released a 113-page report analyzing the various risks of e-cigarettes, concluding that e-cigarettes are 95% safer than smoking, and that policies should encourage smokers to use e-cigarettes as a key smoking cessation strategy to reduce the harm caused by smoking. Note that this is aimed at "smoking populations."

Despite facing various criticisms, Public Health England still maintained in 2018 that e-cigarettes are 95% safer than smoking.

In February 2018, the American Cancer Society (ACS) also released a position statement stating that while the long-term effects of e-cigarette use are still unclear, it can be estimated that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. The association clearly encourages people to try using e-cigarettes as a substitute for traditional cigarettes. The association also advises clinicians to recommend e-cigarettes to smokers as a replacement for traditional cigarettes. Of course, e-cigarettes are only a transitional state, and quitting smoking should always be the first choice.

In November 2018, the CDC also expressed its stance to the public. It recommended that those with a nicotine addiction switch to e-cigarettes and attempt to quit smoking. However, it also reminded that e-cigarettes are not harmless, and that adolescents, pregnant women, and those who do not smoke should not try them just because they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

E-cigarettes may not help with quitting

Merchants selling e-cigarettes often promote them as a means to quit smoking, and some people choose e-cigarettes for this reason; however, many others argue that e-cigarettes do not help with quitting and that one should not pay this "intelligence tax." Will they end up not saving on tobacco taxes while also paying an intelligence tax?

At first glance, e-cigarettes seem similar to nicotine replacement products.

Nicotine replacement products are a general term for items used for smoking cessation, primarily used in nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The nicotine in cigarettes is the addictive substance, and when quitting smoking, people experience withdrawal symptoms, making it uncomfortable and leading them to abandon quitting.

Should e-cigarettes be banned?

However, the issue of e-cigarettes is not that simple. On one hand, there is a large population of smokers; on the other hand, there are the youth of every country, the future flowers of society.

Should we emphasize that "e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than cigarettes" or should we stress that "e-cigarettes are harmful"? This presents a dilemma for public health.