In the last few years, vaping has gone from the new kid on the block to another face in the crowd of smoking culture. In that time, vaping has seen positive and negative press and many contradictory and controversial claims.
All of this has confused everyone about the truth behind vaping and what to believe when it comes to vaping. There are myths about vaping everywhere you look, some true and some false.
To help you sort through the noise and find what's real, we will examine the nine most common myths about vaping. We’re going to get to the bottom of these myths and figure out what is true and what is false regarding vaping.
1. Vaping Is The Same As Smoking
Many people believe that vaping and smoking are the same thing. People believe that vaping devices, also called e-cigarettes, are simply electronic devices to light and combust smokeables like cigarettes or cigars. Some people may try to convince you there is no difference between smoking and vaping.
Verdict: False
Vaping and smoking are similar but not the same thing. Vaping does not involve combustion and is not the same as smoking. You do not inhale smoke when you vape but rather vaporized e-liquid, which can contain water, nicotine, and other ingredients you might desire.
Vape pens work by connecting a battery to a vape coil, which is a piece of metal that gets hot when exposed to electrical current. This heat causes conduction, which heats a wick soaked in the e-liquid.
This conduction produces a thick vapor cloud that the user can inhale. This produces a much lower temperature cloud with a different chemical makeup than smoke.
2. Vaping Is As Dangerous as Smoking
Some people will tell you that vaping is just as dangerous as smoking. They will argue that smoking and vaping produce similar medical health issues and that it would make no difference to switch to a vaping device for your smoking use if you are a smoker.
Verdict: False
Vaping is not as dangerous as smoking and does not pose the same health threats as smoking. While certain health concerns have been raised about vaping devices, there is very little hard evidence that these devices are as harmful as smoking.
Traditional cigarettes expose smokers to over seven thousand different chemicals in addition to nicotine. While the exact number of chemicals vapers are exposed to, it is generally accepted that the number is significantly lower. Additionally, vape clouds are less hot than smoke, decreasing lung burn potential.
Some vaping-related medical issues are of concern, but these mostly occur with users who modify their devices and use black market e-liquids and THC pods.
3. Vaping Is Less Addictive Than Smoking
A lot of vapers believe that vaping is less addictive than smoking. They will tell you that there is less nicotine in vapes or that you are less likely to get addicted because it is not the same as cigarettes. These people believe they can use vaping devices without becoming tolerant or potentially addicted to nicotine.
Verdict: False
Vaping can be just as addictive as regular smoking. That said, vaping can also be less addictive than smoking due to the lower nicotine levels or nicotine-free options available for users.
If you are using less nicotine than you would be using smoking, then you are using a smaller, and therefore less addictive, dose. There is nothing inherently different between getting your nicotine from vaping and smoking in terms of addiction.
4. Vaping Causes Popcorn Lung
Many sources will warn about the dangers of vaping and a condition known as popcorn lung. These people argue that the chemical diacetyl is present in some vape flavorings.
This chemical has caused the condition called popcorn lung, and therefore believe that vaping poses a risk for the development of the disease.
Verdict: False
No evidence links the use of vaping devices or e-cigarettes and popcorn lung. Popcorn lung is a nickname for a disease caused by the chemical diacetyl.
The disease has its name due to the first discovery of the illness in workers in a popcorn factory. While diacetyl can cause popcorn lung, there is no evidence that there has ever been a case of popcorn lung caused by vaping, either in the real world or a laboratory setting.
Diacetyl is not present in many vape flavorings, and there is around 100 times as much diacetyl in cigarette smoke as in vape smoke. However, popcorn lung has never been associated with cigarette smoking.
5. Vapes Can Help You Quit Smoking
You may have heard e-cigarettes and vapes touted as the newest cure to nicotine addiction. E-cigarettes were originally targeted almost exclusively at smokers looking to quit smoking.
Verdict: True
Yes, vaping can help you to quit smoking and quit nicotine. You can do this by using less and less potent vaping liquids in your vape, eventually decreasing to a nicotine-free option.
However, there is nothing about vaping that makes it inherently easier to quit than smoking. Quitting nicotine is hard and will be challenging regardless.
6. You Can Recharge a Disposable Vape
There are plenty of stories and urban legends about people who have been able to recharge a disposable vape. Some accounts claim to have gotten three full recharges out of their disposable vapes, getting almost twice as much vape juice out of the pen.
Verdict: True
There is some truth behind this urban legend. You can recharge a disposable vape, but it is not the best idea and is not as easy as some of the stories might have you believe.
We have a guide on how to recharge your disposable vape, but keep in mind that this is dangerous, and we advise you against it. You will only get an extra hundred hits or less from your pen, and it makes sense just to replace your pen.
7. Nicotine Does Not Cause Cancer
Many people claim that it is not the nicotine that causes cancer but the other contents of cigarettes that are cancer-causing agents. By this logic, vaping can pose significantly fewer health risks than cigarette smoke if it contains fewer and less serious chemicals.
Furthermore, the other chemicals in cigarettes and other nicotine products cause the biggest risk to smokers.
Verdict: True
Nicotine is not a carcinogen in and of itself. There are other chemicals that smokers are exposed to when they smoke tobacco and consume other nicotine-containing products that can and do cause cancer in humans.
This means that consuming nicotine in methods that do not expose people to chemicals, or expose them to significantly fewer chemicals than they are used to, can help to improve the help of those who use nicotine.
8. Second-Hand Vapor Is Dangerous
Most people believe that second-hand vapor is just as dangerous as secondhand smoke. For this reason, many people have disapproving views of people who vape, particularly those who vape in the presence of others.
The law recognizes vaping and e-cigarettes in the same category under the law, and both are prohibited in public areas where it is not explicitly allowed.
Verdict: False
There is no clear evidence that secondhand vapor is a major threat to the health of those around you. On the other hand, there is plenty of peer-reviewed evidence that second-hand smoke from cigarettes and tobacco smoke is quite harmful to passersby and perhaps even more dangerous than the smoke that the user inhales.
This can give users of vaping devices some peace of mind that they are not exposing those around them to dangerous chemicals when vaping in their presence.
9. You Should Clean Your Vape Coils Every Day
Some vaping blogs and influencers may tell you that you should clean your vape coils daily. They will tell you that your vape coils can get dirty easily, and this can cause them to burn out and require replacement more frequently.
Verdict: True
Yes! You should clean your vape coils daily if you have a rechargeable vape. Your vape coils are the piece of your vape that produces heat and creates your vapor.
Cleaning your vape coils with a cotton swab or cotton ball daily can improve the lifespan of your vape coils and give you a better, tastier vaping experience.
Vaping Myths: The Final Truth
There are a lot of competing stories and myths out there in the vaping world competing for your attention. Many myths and legends tell contradictory versions of the same events, confusing many people.
Hopefully, after this breakdown, you have a clearer path through the mess and can understand some of the truth behind vaping. These are not all of the myths out there, but hopefully, you now have the knowledge you need to make some smart choices.
If you are looking for high-quality vapes, California Honey Vapes has what you need. We have tons of disposable and rechargeable options for both nicotine and nicotine-free vaping liquids.
Check out our entire collection of styles, designs, sizes, and flavors to find exactly what you are looking for.
Sources:
5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know | Johns Hopkins Medicine
Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke | Lung.org
Secondhand Exposure to Vapors From Electronic Cigarettes | PMC