Risks of vaping

Learn about the health risks of vaping, including those associated with nicotine and the other chemicals in vaping aerosol.

On this page

• Health risks of vaping with nicotine
• Effects of nicotine on children and teens
• Health risks of other chemicals in vaping aerosol
• Potential health effects of vaping aerosol
• Vaping and pregnancy
• Second-hand aerosol vs second-hand smoke
• Vaping cannabis

Health risks of vaping with nicotine

Vaping with nicotine can cause physical dependence and addiction. Nicotine is the substance responsible for cravings and withdrawal symptoms, which can make it hard to quit.^{Footnote 1}

When inhaled, nicotine is absorbed through your lungs and then moves quickly through your bloodstream, entering your brain and other organs of your body. Similar to smoking cigarettes, vaping nicotine can cause short-term increases to your blood pressure and heart rate in the minutes and hours after use.^{Footnote 2}

The health risks associated with nicotine depend on factors including:

• a person's age,
• the product or device and how it's used.

It is approved for use in nicotine replacement therapies, (e.g. the patch, inhaler, pouch, and nicotine gum) to ease withdrawal symptoms and help people quit smoking by weaning them off nicotine gradually. It's important to note that nicotine itself is not known to cause cancer^{Footnote 3}, respiratory or vascular disease.^{Footnote 4}

Most of what we know about the health effects of nicotine comes from studying smoking and addiction, but research on the effects of vaping nicotine is ongoing. Most vaping substances available for sale in Canada do contain nicotine and they can deliver more or less nicotine than a cigarette.^{Footnote 5}

For information on nicotine and withdrawal symptoms, visit Tobacco and addiction.

Effects of nicotine on children and teens

Children and teens who vape are especially susceptible to the harmful effects of nicotine because brain development continues throughout adolescence and into early adulthood.^{Footnote 6} It can make it harder for youth to concentrate, learn and manage their emotions.^{Footnote 7} Evidence suggests the developing brain may be more sensitive to the effects of nicotine compared to adults. Youth may become dependent on nicotine with lower levels of exposure than adults.^{Footnote 8} Once a young person shows symptoms of physical dependence or addiction to nicotine, it can be hard for them to stop vaping.

There are also concerns about the appeal of vaping products among youth and their potential to promote tobacco use. Despite nicotine being common to both products, there is limited evidence that using vaping products increases the risk of smoking cigarettes among youth and young adults.^{Footnote 1Footnote 9Footnote 10} This is supported by record low smoking rates in these populations in Canada.^{Footnote 11Footnote 12}

Learn more about smoking and vaping rates in Canada, visit Surveys, statistics and research.

While studies report that vaping products can help adults quit smoking and switching completely to vaping is less harmful than continuing to smoke, it's not harmless and isn't intended for young people.

Teens and parents can learn more about quitting vaping by visiting I quit for me.

Health risks of other chemicals in vaping aerosol

Vaping aerosol can expose you to chemicals that can be harmful to your health. In addition to nicotine, vaping liquids typically contain:

• propylene glycol (PG)
• glycerol (vegetable glycerin)
• chemicals used for flavouring

While these ingredients are considered safe for use in cosmetics and foods, the long-term risks of inhaling these substances are unknown and continue to be researched.

At high temperatures, PG and glycerol break apart to form new chemicals called carbonyl compounds, also known as aldehydes. These chemicals include:

• acrolein
• acetaldehyde
• formaldehyde^{Footnote 13}

Using vaping products with higher power and temperature settings can produce more types and greater amounts of potentially harmful chemicals. ^{Footnote 14Footnote 15Footnote 16Footnote 17}.

Some metal contaminants may also get into the aerosol as the metal heating element ages.^{Footnote 18} These metals include:

• nickel
• lead

Some of these chemicals and metals can be toxic and are known to cause cancer^{Footnote 1}, however, the levels found in vaping aerosol are significantly lower than those found in cigarette smoke.

Potential health effects of vaping aerosol

It's difficult to assess the exact impacts of vaping on human health. This is because the quantities and types of chemicals from vaped aerosol which users are exposed to depend on things like the:

• type of device
• temperature setting
• vaping liquid ingredients and quality
• individual vaping patterns

The most common types of short-term negative health effects reported by people who use vaping products are:^{Footnote 19}

• cough
• nausea
• headache
• throat and mouth irritation

We need more research to establish the health risks of long-term vaping product use on developing^{Footnote 20}:

• cancer
• respiratory disease
• cardiovascular diseases
• other diseases

Vaping may cause lung damage by exposing people to harmful chemicals, like formaldehyde and acrolein^{Footnote 13}, and metals and contaminants like nickel and lead1^{Footnote 18}. It can, for example, increase coughing, wheezing and intensify asthma symptoms in teens^{Footnote 1}.

Vaping and pregnancy

While vaping products contain fewer harmful chemicals than cigarettes, they expose you and your fetus to chemicals, including nicotine, that have health risks. Talk to your health care provider about your options for quitting vaping during pregnancy and while breastfeeding or chestfeeding.

Second-hand aerosol vs second-hand smoke

Bystanders can be exposed to aerosol that's exhaled by people who vape.

Researchers are studying the health effects from exposure to second-hand aerosol from vaping. Due to variability in chemicals in vape aerosol, it's difficult to measure chemical exposure and hence the risks associated with second-hand aerosol.^{Footnote 22Footnote 23Footnote 24}

However, the risks are expected to be much lower compared to those from second-hand smoke from a tobacco product like cigarettes. This is because second-hand aerosol from vaping contains significantly fewer chemicals than cigarette smoke.

Second-hand smoke is made up of exhaled smoke, as well as side-stream smoke, which is the result of the cigarette burning in between puffs. Side-stream smoke makes up the majority of second-hand smoke ^{Footnote 4}, whereas exposure to second-hand vaping aerosol is mostly from the exhaled breath.^{Footnote 25}

There's some evidence that using e-cigarettes increases the level of nicotine and other chemicals on indoor surfaces and within indoor air. ^{Footnote 26Footnote 27} Nicotine has been detected in blood and urine of non-users exposed to second-hand aerosol.^{Footnote 27}

It's recommended to vape outdoors only and to be cautious about using vaping products around others. Note that many provinces, territories and municipalities prohibit the use of vaping products in public places and workplaces where smoking is prohibited.

Vaping cannabis

The aerosol from vaping cannabis can also include harmful substances, such as benzenes^{Footnote 28} and styrene^{Footnote 29}. Contaminants such as heavy metals may leach into the cannabis concentrates and be inhaled.

Vaping liquids containing cannabis don't use glycerine or propylene glycol as the primary ingredient. They are typically almost entirely cannabis but can also contain a botanical extract or terpene blend, and these may carry their own risks.

Vaping cannabis extracts, like the liquid used in vape pens, is particularly harmful because they have the highest levels of THC across cannabis products. Higher THC levels increase the risk of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression and dependence - especially when used every day or most days. In severe cases it can lead to psychosis and schizophrenia.

For information on the health risks of cannabis use, visit Cannabis and your health.

For more information

• Youth Vaping Prevention Campaign
• Preventing kids and teens from smoking and vaping
• Vaping prevention and quitting resources (print, digital and video)

Footnotes