Vaping is actually well known to be (much) less harmful than smoking with the data we have as of today. And that’s also where the very catch is.
But before we even start: the popcorn thing (Bronchiolitis obliterans) is wrong. It is caused by the organic compound called Diacetyl (which is used to flavor popcorn), and that’s why it is banned as a vape ingredient in various EU countries. You can still find it in many cigarette brands though.
Next: the nicotine.
And yes indeed, e-cigarettes do contain (often a lot of) nicotine — which means they are addictive — but they lack much of the cancerous stuff tobacco cigarettes all have. Again: vaping is a relatively new thing, so long-term effects on especially cancers are still to be statistically observed — but still.
On the other hand, in people who switch from smoking to vaping the exposure to toxins associated with risks of cancer, lung disease, heart disease and stroke have been observed to be significantly reduced (according to the NHS-UK).
So where’s the catch ?
The catch is the Labrador Retriever Dichotomy.
Since Labradors are docile and calm family dogs, most people trust their children to approach and touch Labradors every which way, in stark contrast to Pit Bull terriers for obvious reasons. And that’s exactly why there are much more biting accidents in Labradors than in Pit Bulls — once you take the dog as granted, the kids often come too close.
And the same is true with vaping, compared to tobacco smoking: since the damage seems to be smaller at first sight, we let our kids come closer to vaping than to tobacco smoking, and that’s a worse by-product than nicotine. Because if you never smoked before, the chances to become a smoker are way higher if you start vaping.
So now we have a barking dichotomy: vaping is less harmful than smoking, so we tend to start vaping much earlier than smoking. Which leads some of us smoking in the end.
The crux of the matter is that it’s better to vape than to smoke for a smoker, but for a non-smoker it’s a no-go all the same (unless you never turn to smoking).
It’s a walk in the woods, when suddenly the road diverges into two unclear paths —
And a dog is barking all the same.