Vapes VS Cigarettes

Many medical studies have concluded that smoking cigarettes, despite the nicotine hits they provide, can affect the health of not only smokers but also the people surrounding them.

To continue consuming nicotine without the harm of cigarettes, many smokers slowly turned to vapes. But is using e-cigarettes better than smoking cigarettes? Which is worse between the two? Read on to find out which of the two is better.

Is Vaping Worse Than Smoking?

Vaping is the practice of inhaling and exhaling aerosol from an electronic cigarette. The aerosol puffed from the vape device contains nicotine and flavouring, allowing you to experience the nicotine hit with the taste and aroma of your chosen vape flavour.

To produce the content of the vapour, the electronic cigarette must heat the e-liquid through heating elements or coils. Aside from nicotine and flavourings, vape juice also contains water, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin.

Notice that these electronic nicotine delivery systems do not contain any tobacco plants and other similar ingredients, which makes many people think that they are much safer than cigarettes.

Health Risks and Consequences

The consequences of using cigarettes have been clearly defined by numerous medical studies, which allows health organizations to declare these products to be the catalyst of health risks among users.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, for instance, has stated that “cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduces the health of smokers in general.” 

Some health risks associated with cigarette smoking include stroke, coronary heart disease, and cancers almost anywhere in the body.

Vaping and Serious Lung Disease

Vaping, like cigarettes, also releases aerosol in the air, making it less harmful yet still dangerous for users and the surrounding people.

Once the vape juice is heated, your e-cigarette can release chemicals through the aerosols, causing various illnesses in your lungs and cardiovascular system. Some serious diseases attributed to vaping include chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Although the long-term effects of vaping are still being researched, many studies have already shown that secondhand exposure to vape aerosol can still put your loved ones at risk for adverse health effects.

Comparative Health Effects

Cigarettes produce thousands of chemicals from their smoke, which are attributed to the development of diseases like lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The same substances can be found in secondhand smoke, affecting non-smokers with respiratory infections, asthma, and heart disease. 

Compared to cigarettes, vapes only produce fewer toxic chemicals. 

They can, however, cause lung irritation. Cases of EVALI or e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury have also increased over the past few years with the use of vapes.

Like aerosol, secondhand vapour also has fewer chemicals than secondhand smoke. Nonetheless, it still contains chemicals that could be harmful to non-vapers.  

Real Health Risks

As you smoke cigarettes, the smoke they produce will gradually damage every organ in your body. It can also cause lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Ultimately, it can increase your risk of death.

Vaping also has some real health risks you must ignore.

First, vaping can increase your chances of developing lung injury. EVALI, in particular, has already reported some deaths. Nicotine from vaping can also lead to the slow development of brains among children, teens, and even fetuses. The chemicals found in vape juice are likewise toxic and can be dangerous, especially when children and adults swallow, inhale, or touch them.

Are Vapes Better Than Cigarettes?

In some ways, vapes are better than cigarettes.

When you opt for vapes instead of cigarettes, you are safe from the toxic chemicals found in tobacco smoke. You only have to ensure that you use vapes moderately to avoid overdosing yourself with nicotine, a highly addictive substance.

Vapes also come in many flavours. Cigarettes sold in the market are often infused with menthol to provide a chilling sensation in every puff. They are not, however, available in fruits and other distinct flavours that you can get from vapes.

The Elf Bar GH23000 Disposable Vape comes in a wide range of astonishing flavours. They include Alpine Mint, Blueberry Raspberry, Double Mango, Grape Ice, Peach Berry, Strawberry Grape, Watermelon Bubble Gum, and many more.

Nicotine in Vapes vs Cigarettes: Which One Has More

Cigarettes often contain 8mg to 20mg of nicotine. The hit of nicotine, however, is rapid, making smoking addictive.

Vapes, alternatively, come in 0mg/ml to 50mg/ml of nicotine. The higher nicotine amount of vapes allows these devices to then deliver more nicotine to one’s body. However, it would still depend on the vaping device’s power and e-liquid as well as the inhalation technique. 

Even with high nicotine content, the delivery of the substance can be slowed down to prevent the rapid nicotine hits one would simply get from cigarettes.

How Many Chemicals Are in Cigarettes vs Vapes

Out of 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, around 250 of them are harmful. They include tar, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, ammonia, and many more carcinogens.

Vaping may not boast these chemicals, but it can also generate potentially harmful substances when the vape juice has been vaporized. 

Research published in Scientific Reports estimates that vapes may produce 127 acutely toxic chemicals and 225 irritants. John Hopkins researchers have also found that e-cigarettes may be generating around 2,000 unknown chemicals during vaping sessions.

Some harmful substances and chemicals from electronic cigarettes include propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, acetaldehyde, acrolein, formaldehyde, acrolein, benzene, and heavy metals.

Why Vapes Are Good for Smoking Cessation

Adults who want to quit smoking but are not used to smokeless tobacco options can opt for vapes instead as a tool for smoking cessation.

One reason why vapes are good for smoking cessation is they are flexible.

Vape juices come in different nicotine concentrations and flavours. This flexibility allows you to regulate your nicotine consumption based on your lifestyle or smoking habits. You can even decrease your nicotine levels over time until you no longer rely on the addictive substance.

Vapes vs Cigarettes Study: The Data

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cigarette smokers around the world is 1.3 billion people. Around 8 million have died due to tobacco use. As for secondhand smoke exposure, 1.3 million non-smokers have died due to varying illnesses.

The number of vape users in 2021 is said to have reached around 82 million. Moreover, the number of individuals who have contracted EVALI has reached 2,800, of which 68 of them have died.

The rise of vape use as well as the associated health risks of tobacco products have led to the continuous decline of cigarette smoking. Illnesses and deaths due to vapes have yet to be determined in the long term.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Better to Vape or Smoke?

Based on available data, it is better to vape than to smoke since vapes pose fewer health risks than cigarettes. They do not produce tobacco smoke, which produces tons of cancer-causing chemicals.

How Many Puffs of Vape Is Equal to a Cigarette?

A cigarette takes around 10 to 15 puffs before depleting all its content. To take a similar amount of nicotine from a cigarette, you should use a vape with around 5% nicotine content for around 30 to 50 puffs.

Are Vapes More Harmful Than Cigarettes?

Vapes are less harmful than cigarettes due to the lack of tobacco and their associated smoke. These devices, however, can still pose some health risks due to heated nicotine, flavouring compounds, and other chemicals from e-liquid.

How Many Cigarettes Equal a Vape?

A vape with a 600 puff count is equivalent to around 50 cigarettes. A disposable vape with a 1000 puff count, alternatively, is equivalent to around 5-6 packs or around 100-120 cigarettes.

Which Is Worse, Vaping or Smoking?

Smoking is worse than vaping as it has already been proven to cause illnesses and deaths due to tobacco smoke. It can also affect non-smokers due to secondhand smoke exposure, making it the major cause of preventable deaths globally.

Summary

While vapes still have a fair share of real health risks due to aerosols, cigarettes and their smoke can be significantly more harmful as they affect not only smokers but also non-smokers.

To consume nicotine in a less harmful way, you should go for vaping. You can even use vapes as a tool for quitting smoking and managing your nicotine cravings. Upon knowing why e-cigarettes are better than traditional cigarettes, you should then know what vaping feels like with this blog.