Health harms of vaping
Some people think that vaping is less harmful than smoking. While we need more time to understand the long-term health effects of vaping, we are already seeing harms from vaping right now.
Did you know?
The best thing you can do for your health is to be vape-free and smoke-free.
Nicotine addiction and dependence
Nicotine is highly addictive. Every time you vape, nicotine reaches your brain within seconds. Nicotine causes your brain to release high levels of dopamine – a ‘feel-good’ chemical. Once the nicotine levels drop, your body craves the good feeling, so you crave more nicotine.
Addiction is a serious health problem. People who are addicted to vapes can go through cycles of withdrawal and cravings, until they vape again.
Exposure to nicotine during adolescence and young adulthood can change the structure and function of the brain.
There is a concern that people who vape will go on to smoke. Non-smokers who vape are three times as likely to start smoking tobacco compared to people who don’t vape.
Nicotine poisoning
Nicotine is highly toxic and classified as a poison. Most vapes contain high levels of nicotine. Symptoms of nicotine poisoning include nausea, headaches, dizziness, coughing, diarrhoea, increased heart rate and vomiting.
Young children can die or be seriously poisoned from just small amounts of nicotine , so it’s very important to keep vapes, e-liquids and other products out of reach of young children.
If you’re concerned someone has nicotine poisoning:
- Call the NSW Poisons Information Line 13 11 26.
- Call 000 for an ambulance if they have stopped breathing or collapsed
This resource provides advice to parents and families about the importance of child safety around e-cigarettes and highlights the risk of nicotine poisoning in children.
Lung damage and breathlessness
When you vape, you inhale tiny particles (particulate matter) and chemicals into your lungs, where they can settle in your airways. These particles and chemicals can cause inflammation, scarring and DNA damage.
Vapes have toxic chemicals that are known to cause cancer (such as formaldehyde, arsenic, acrolein) and other health issues:
- Chlorine causes lung damage
- Benzene damages DNA
- Mercury damages fertility
- Arsenic causes damage to internal organs.
The long-term effects of inhaling these chemicals are being monitored, but can’t be fully understood for years.
Burns and injuries
There are many reports of vapes exploding. When a vape explodes in your hand, mouth or pocket, you can have severe burns, often to the face, hands, thighs, chest and genitals.
Don’t ever try to modify or re-use disposable vapes. Tampering with batteries can cause explosions. Always charge, store and use batteries as directed in the manufacturers instructions.
Vaping and sleep
Sleep is important for our overall health and wellbeing. Healthy sleep improves cognitive performance, emotional regulation and physical health.
Research suggests that vaping may disrupt our ability to fall asleep and our quality of sleep.
Many people describe vaping as a way to relax and unwind, but it can actually have the opposite effect. Nicotine is a stimulant, which means it increases alertness and delays sleep.You might find it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Poor sleep can make you feel tired when you wake up, and groggy or irritable throughout the day. Poor sleep over a long period can lead to other physical and mental health issues.
Health effects for young people
Most vapes contain nicotine, even if nicotine isn’t listed in the ingredients.
Along with these harms of vaping, young people can experience additional harms from nicotine exposure.
The human brain continues developing until around the age of 25. Each time a new memory is made or a new skill is learned, stronger connections (synapses) are built between brain cells. Young people’s brains build synapses faster than adult brains.
Nicotine changes the way synapses are formed. Vaping nicotine can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control. Nicotine exposure can also increase the risk of future addiction to other drugs.
Further reading
To learn more about the health harms of vaping, here are some links to key reports and scientific articles you might find interesting.
- E-cigarettes and other alternative nicotine products - a comprehensive online resource summarising the latest evidence about e-cigarettes.
- E-cigarettes, smoking and health - a recent review by CSIRO into the use and health impacts of e-cigarettes.
- E-cigarette use among youth and young adults: a report of the Surgeon General - a review into the public health issue of electronic cigarettes and their impact on young people.
- Electronic cigarettes and health outcomes: systematic review of global evidence. - A systematic review of the evidence on the health effects of e-cigarette use.
- Health effects of electronic cigarettes: an umbrella review and methodological considerations - an umbrella review of the cardiopulmonary and carcinogenic risks of e-cigarette use, distinguishing between short-term and long-term health effects.
- Inhalation toxicity of non-nicotine e-cigarette constituents: risk assessments, scoping review and evidence map (PDF) - a summary of the toxicological risk assessments of each chemical currently known to be used in e-cigarettes. A scoping review to ascertain the extent, range, and nature of the evidence available on toxicology associated with the inhalation of e-liquids.
- Non-nicotine liquids for e-cigarette devices in Australia: chemistry and health concerns (PDF) - this report describes the chemicals to which people may be exposed from the use of e-cigarettes, and the health concerns about these chemicals.
- Public health consequences of e-cigarettes - this report reviews and critically assesses the state of the emerging evidence about e-cigarettes and health.
- The impact of vaping on adolescent mental health (PDF) - a review of the research evidence aimed at understanding the relationship between vaping and adolescent mental health and wellbeing.
Call NSW Quitline for advice on quitting vaping and smoking.