Vaping

Vaping products

Vaping products such as electronic cigarettes (also known as vapes, mods, 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 vaporize a liquid mixture of chemicals (often called e-juice) to produce an aerosol. When the aerosol is inhaled, this is often called vaping. E-cigarette devices can also be used to deliver cannabis and other drugs.

Contents of aerosol

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

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

E-cigarette aerosol has fewer chemicals than cigarette smoke, but it still contains chemicals that are known to be toxic. The long-term impact of inhaling e-cigarette aerosol into your lungs is unknown.  

Vaping product safety

Evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are safer than cigarette smoking, but safer doesn’t mean safe. We are still learning more about how vaping impacts health. The long-term safety of vaping is 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.

Reduce your risk

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)

Vaping products as smoking cessation tools

E-cigarettes and other vaping products have not yet been proven as an effective way to quit smoking.  Switching completely from combustible 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 (use both cigarettes and e-cigarettes) which can increase your risk of many health concerns. If you are interested in quitting smoking, visit our Getting Help page.

Quitting vaping

If you are interested in quitting vaping or smoking, try using Quash which is a free app for youth (14 to 19 years old) and adults that can help. Creating a quit plan for vaping can also improve your chances at staying vape free. If you need additional support, you can Health811 for access to free Quit Coaches.

• Are there risks to vaping Cannabis - CCSA
• How to reduce the risk of cannabis vaping - CCSA
• Vaping and COVID-19 (PDF) - CAMH
• Vaping and your health (PDF) - Cancer Care Ontario
• Le vapotage et votre santé fiche d’information (PDF) – Action Cancer Ontario
• Electronic cigarettes and vaping - David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA
• Vaping - Health Canada
• Severe lung illness related to vaping - Health Canada
• Risks of E-cigarettes for Youth - CDC
• Talking with your teen about vaping tip sheet - Health Canada