In recognition of World No Tobacco Day, we sat down with Mark Block, MD, chief of Thoracic Surgery at Memorial Healthcare System, to tackle a question a lot of people are asking: "Is vaping safer than smoking?"

If you’ve ever thought about switching from cigarettes to e‑cigarettes because you’ve heard vaping is “better” or “cleaner,” this article is for you.

What Chemicals Are in Vapes?

When people talk about vaping, they’re usually referring to e‑cigarettes or vape pens. These devices heat a liquid (often called vape juice or e‑liquid) into an aerosol that you inhale.

That liquid typically contains:

• Nicotine (the addictive chemical in cigarettes)
• Flavorings (fruit, mint, dessert flavors, etc.)
• Solvents like propylene glycol and glycerin
• Other toxic metals, chemicals and additives (i.e., nickel, lead, chromium, etc.)

Is Smoking Worse Than Vaping?

Traditional cigarettes burn tobacco, producing smoke that contains:

• Tar
• Carbon monoxide
• Thousands of chemicals, including dozens of known cancer‑causing substances (i.e., carcinogens)

We’ve known for decades that regular and second-hand smoking causes:

• Lung cancer
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Heart disease and stroke
• A long list of other serious health problems

As a lung surgeon, Dr. Block sees the impact up close.

“When I operate on a long‑term smoker, I see lungs that are stiff, blackened, and scarred. The damage from cigarette smoke is dramatic and often irreversible.”

What Are the Long‑Term Effects of Vaping?

Cigarettes have been around long enough for us to understand their long‑term risks. But vaping is new, and we don’t yet have decades of data on what daily vaping does to lungs over 20–30 years.

There have been reports of serious lung injuries linked to vaping, sometimes landing people who are often young and previously healthy in the hospital.

Symptoms can include:

• Sudden shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Cough
• Fever

“As a thoracic surgeon, my concern is that we’re going to see the long‑term consequences of vaping show up years from now, just like we did with cigarettes,” says Dr. Block.

If I Smoke, Should I Switch to Vaping?

No. The best options are to quit all nicotine completely and not vape.

“Any time you repeatedly inhale chemicals into the lungs, you’re asking for trouble,” says Dr. Block. “The lungs were designed for clean air, not hot, flavored aerosols.”.

If you absolutely cannot quit smoking right now, switching completely from cigarettes to vaping may reduce exposure to some harmful chemicals and help you smoke less, but it’s only a temporary bridge. The problem is that you’re replacing one nicotine source with another, and it’s not clear that vaping is a healthier approach.

“If you do smoke, the goal should never be to switch and stay on vapes forever,” says Dr. Block. “The goal is to get off nicotine entirely.”

What Should Parents and Caregivers Know About Vaping?

Many parents ask: “Is vaping really that bad if it keeps my teen from smoking?”

Vapes aren't just vapor. Most contain high addictive levels of nicotine, so we should not accept nicotine addiction in any form for our kids, whether it’s cigarettes or vapes. Early addiction can lead to long‑term dependence and a higher risk of future smoking. In addition, using nicotine during adolescence can harm brain development (which continues to age 25) and affect their attention, learning, mood, impulse, and control.

Fruit and candy-themed vape flavors are designed to appeal to young people, so teens may not realize how much nicotine they’re getting.

“When young people end up in the ICU with vaping‑related lung injury, that should be a wake‑up call,” Dr. Block says.

Vaping is not a harmless alternative for teens. It’s an on‑ramp to addiction.

How Do I Quit Smoking?

The first thing is to commit to quitting smoking. Think about the benefits to you and the people around you. If that can’t motivate you to quit smoking, you won’t be able to quit.

Once you’re committed to quitting, there are lots of resources to help you:

• Tobacco Free Florida: Free resources and services to help you quit smoking, including live coach support, support groups, and nicotine replacement therapy.
• Online and in-person counseling and smoking cessation support groups.
• Nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges.
• Prescription medications that reduce cravings.
• Acupuncture