What to know about the first study on the long-term effects of vaping

In August, there was a spate of vaping-related hospitalisations in the US, with 52 deaths associated with the habit. Marketed as a healthier alternative to smoking, vaping has become popular among teens who’ve never previously smoked, surpassing its intention of acting as a quitting tool.

Though electronic cigarettes have been on the market since 2003, vaping rose to popularity in 2014, even becoming the most used word of that year. Sigh. But until now, little has been known about its long-term effects. 

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine has now published the first ever study into the lasting effects of vaping. Here’s everything you need to know

VAPERS ARE AT RISK OF CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES

Following the summer’s hospitalisations, this may not come as surprising news. Researchers tested 32,000 adults in the US, none of whom had any signs of lung disease when the study began in 2013, and found that in 2016, people who vaped were 30 per cent more likely than those who didn’t to develop a chronic lung disease like asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis. “E-cigarette use predicted the development of lung disease over a very short period of time,” the study’s co-author Stanton Glantz told NBC News. “It only took three years.” 

BUT SMOKERS ARE STILL WORSE OFF

As expected, the study revealed that smokers are damaging their lungs more than people who vape, and had 2.5 times higher risk of developing lung disease than non-smokers. “If you’re going to do one or the other,” Glantz explained to TIME, “you’re probably better off with an e-cigarette.” While this answers the enduring question of whether vaping is better for you than smoking – e-cigarettes also contain and produce fewer known cancer-causing toxins than cigarettes – it doesn’t mean you can vape and be side-effect free. 

IF YOU VAPE AND SMOKE… YOU’RE FUCKED

Many people switch to vaping in an attempt to quit smoking, but instead end up doing both. The study found that this is the worst possible thing you can do when it comes to your lungs, with those who do both having a 3.3 times higher risk than people who do neither. “Most adults who use e-cigarettes continue to smoke,” Glantz said, “and if they do that, they get the risks of smoking plus the risk of the e-cigarette.” 

THE RESULTS AREN’T LINKED TO THE RECENT VAPE-RELATED DEATHS

The study centres on lung diseases, as opposed to the vaping-related injury called EVALI, which caused the deaths of 52 people in the US over the summer. 78 per cent of those hospitalised for EVALI – not necessarily those who died – were under 35 years old, with the youngest person to lose their life aged just 17. The spate of illnesses led to social media users dramatically throwing away their Juuls, in an attempt to encourage others to do the same. It’s believed EVALI is linked to contaminated or counterfeit substances, particularly in vapes containing THC (the psychoactive component of weed) and nicotine.