What's the Difference Between Vaping and Smoking?

Electronic cigarettes, commonly referred to as ecigs or vapes, have helped smokers all across the globe make the switch to vaping and ditch their tobacco cigarettes for good.  But, what’s the difference between smoking and vaping? And where can I vape??

Are vaping and smoking the same things?

Vaping can sometimes look like smoking due to the large ‘smoke’ clouds that vaporizers can emit.  Alas, these clouds are not actually made up of smoke, but of vapor. Smoke is created when there is combustion, which is the process of burning something.  Vapes do not operate by combustion. Rather they work by heating the liquid into a vapor form. Vaping and smoking are not the same things.

These sometimes similar-looking clouds are made up of vastly different ingredients.  Cigarette smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals with at least 70 carcinogens* which are chemicals known to cause cancer.  These chemicals are not only limited to cancer, some can cause heart or lung disease and a plethora of other health problems as well.  Since there is no combustion with electronic cigarettes, an abundance of cancer causing carcinogens are removed.

Vaping contains significantly fewer chemicals.  It’s made up of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), nicotine, and flavoring.  Flavoring is made up of various chemicals. These chemicals are food grade quality and known as generally safe when coming from a reputable merchant.  Very few carcinogenic chemicals have been found in ecig vapor and when they are, they are present in trace quantities. ****

There is also radioactive material in tobacco smoke caused from the soil and fertilizer used to grow the tobacco leaves.  These harmful materials make themselves present as tobacco combusts. Radioactive exposure is known to cause cancer.

What about cigar smoke?

Cigar smoke is very similar to cigarette smoke although its toxins are present at different levels.  Often folks who smoke cigars say they, ‘never inhale’...but that does not make cigars any safer. Research shows that there is little to no decrease in risk when it comes to using cigars vs cigarettes.**

Also, due the aging process that is involved in the manufacturing of cigars, parts of the cigar begin to ferment which when burn releases very potent carsinogins.  Tobacco isn’t burned as efficiently in a cigar as it is in a cigarette which causes high concentrations of deadly substances like tar and carbon monoxide.

If smoke is the problem, what about smokeless tobaccos like chew?

Smokeless tobacco products have killed fewer people on average than cigarettes and cigars.  However, they are still connected with cancer and can even be just as lethal. It’s not just smoke that’s the problem.  Smokeless tobacco is known to contain at least 3,000 chemicals. *** Many of these chemicals are harmful and toxic to humans.  

Smokeless tobacco products deliver a powerful hit of nicotine in a relatively short amount of time.  At least 28 carcinogens have been identified in smokeless tobacco products and just like cigarettes and cigars, smokeless tobacco products can cause mouth cancer and other unfavorable mouth conditions.