Vaping

Vaping products such as electronic cigarettes (also known as vapes, mods, and vape pens) are battery-powered devices designed to mimic the experience of smoking cigarettes. Unlike cigarettes, they do not burn tobacco. Instead, they heat and vapourize a liquid mixture of chemicals (often called e-juice) to produce an aerosol. When the aerosol is inhaled, this is called vaping. E-cigarette devices can also be used to inhale cannabis and other drugs. If you are thinking about vaping cannabis, ensure you know your risks and understand how you can help lower physical and mental health risks.

Many people think that e-cigarette aerosol is just harmless “water vapour,” but there are many potentially harmful substances that can be found in e-cigarette aerosol including:

• Flavouring chemicals
• Ultrafine particles
• Volatile organic compounds
• Heavy metals (e.g., nickel, aluminum)
• Nicotine

E-cigarette aerosol has fewer chemicals than cigarette smoke, but it still contains chemicals that are known to be toxic and may cause issues like vaping-associated lung illness.

Evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are safer than cigarette smoking, but safer doesn’t mean safe. We are still learning more about the risks associated with vaping. The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown.

Many vaping products contain nicotine, which can harm adolescents’ developing brains. Using nicotine during adolescence can affect the parts of the brain that control attention and learning. Read these tips for talking with your teen about vaping.

Parents and caregivers can learn how to help prevent young people from becoming addicted to nicotine through vaping, or how to support them to quit, at the Not an Experiment website.

Youth, pregnant women, and those who don’t smoke, shouldn’t vape.

If you do choose to vape:

• Avoid products from illegal or unregulated sources.
• Avoid modifying vaping products or adding substances that were not intended by the manufacturer.
• Do not return to smoking cigarettes (if you are using vaping with nicotine to quit cigarette smoking).

E-cigarettes and other vaping products have not been proven to be an effective way to quit smoking. Switching completely from tobacco cigarette smoking to vaping will reduce your exposure to harmful toxins. While some people may use e-cigarettes to help them quit, many end up becoming dual users (using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes) which can increase your risk of many health concerns. View our tips on how to quit smoking.