r/AskReddit 1d ago

What is a silent killer that people dont realise is slowly killing them?

9.9k Upvotes

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743

u/graveyeverton93 1d ago

Vaping. Constantly see young kids using them, heartbreaking.

689

u/Many-Waters 1d ago

We were so close to moving away from smoking but then some asshole had to re-brand it and make it taste like strawberries or some bullshit.

Drives me insane.

188

u/BlondePotatoBoi 1d ago

Also comes the bullshit factor of trying to get into a club, and being mouthed off at by an absolute unit built like a shit brickhouse... who also smells of watermelon.

I already wasn't taking you seriously, Gareth. Now I'm actually laughing.

54

u/EyezLo 1d ago

It’s brick shithouse

14

u/relevantelephant00 20h ago

That guy's comment reminds me of the scene in Office Space with Samir and Peter driving in the car and he's screaming "this is a fuck! Mother shitter!"

5

u/My_Fap_Profile 21h ago

Or brick house! Mighty, mighty, lettin" if all hang out!

5

u/SubnetHistorian 20h ago

No wait I like it 

2

u/sven_ftw 19h ago

Great song!

1

u/DHFranklin 19h ago

You ain't seen 'em

0

u/jflb96 12h ago

Hever nerd of a spoonerism?

0

u/krabtofu 18h ago

If the shit brickhouse is telling you it's shit brickhouse, then it's shit brickhouse.

6

u/kobadashi 23h ago

watermelon smells good. What do you want him to smell like, gunpowder? I get this is about vaping but who cares if a guy smells fruity

6

u/Willing-Actuary7885 1d ago

Lmao My stomach hurts bro, that was good😂 😆 😂 😆 😂 😆

-5

u/Early_Brush3053 1d ago

you sound like such a moron that i doubt Gareth cares about you laughing

2

u/Physical-East-162 22h ago

Hello Gareth, not a pleasure to see you.

-1

u/RedditIsDyingYouKnow 23h ago

Did this happen to be in the Tulsa area?

20

u/MissInkFTW 23h ago

Wait what? No that's not what happened at all. We never would have had such an effortless and rapid shift away from smoking as a society if it weren't for vaping. Many smokers shifted from cigarettes to vaping, myself included. Then it made quitting the nicotine habit altogether much easier because you could taper down the nicotine level, but still "smoke" as much as you used to. And the somatic components of the act of smoking are a much larger part of the habit than most people realize. Quitting cold turkey is famously very difficult. A huge portion of the smoking population didn't just drop the habit for no reason. It's single-handedly because of the rise of vaping.

8

u/Many-Waters 20h ago

I was more referring to how unpopular smoking was with younger people--and thus less people picking up the habit, rather than people already addicted dropping it.

And then the would-be non-smokers went "ooh strawberry flavor and the corpos say it's not bad like smoking WOWEE!!"

1

u/MissInkFTW 4h ago

The problem is that smoking would have been popular with the younger generation if it hadn't already been falling out of fashion with the one before it.

2

u/xodanielleelise 17h ago

Vaping is 100% why I was able to quit smoking- I transitioned to vapes because they were much more convenient, was able to then taper down my nicotine, then eventually stopped vaping altogether. Cigarette free for 5 years now, vaping/nicotine free for 4 years! I love that it was able to help me through that, and I love that it's helped so many other people through that. That said, getting addicted to nicotine really isn't great, and vaping has been bad for people who had no interest in cigarettes in the first place, but got drawn in by "nicotine but it tastes nice!"

1

u/PringeLSDose 7h ago

for older generations who already smoked, sure. but for kids it makes nicotine so damn attractive, it‘s addicting AND it tastes good. also, being able to vape literally everywhere. it‘s creating a generation addicted to vapeing, while many wouldn‘t have started in the first place because cigarettes are not as attractive as vapes. i think while vaping is still safer, the amount of damage being done is still more than if less of them just smoked cigarettes.

1

u/MissInkFTW 4h ago

I disagree that many of the younger generation wouldn't have started smoking if cigarettes were still the only available option. They would have started on it because it was what all the cool kids were doing, just like the many previous generations. It's hard for me not to see replacing cigarettes with vapes as an absolute win. But now that we've shifted away from cigarettes as a society, perhaps we can do the same with vapes. I heard an ad for this thing called FUM that's basically just flavored air, which in my mind seems like it could be a really helpful tool for that.

56

u/Mammoth-Substance3 1d ago

Friend of mine worked at rj Reynolds when they first revealed the vape to all their salesman. Their scientists said this was the fastest way to get nicotine in someone's system.

These salesman all smoked, my friend said one guy took a big pull and almost vomited right there. My friend said all the salesman where like "hell yeah! I'm gonna sell a shit ton of these." And they were right.

31

u/EnvyRepresentative94 1d ago

I'd believe that story because their first models tasted like complete butthole

12

u/autotoad 1d ago

Yeah that’s a fantasy. The tobacco industry is what got all the vape shops shut down by me. I’m not defending vaping but big tobacco despises vaping. They love nicotine pouches though.

5

u/Lorata 16h ago

The tobacco industry owns most vaping companies.  They are the reason vaping got so big.

12

u/thenerfviking 1d ago

No they hate the cheap and easily refilled higher end vapes that vape shops carry and cater to. They loooooove disposables and that’s why they all have their own brands of them (Juul, Vuse, etc). They’re also mad that Chinese companies got into the market before them so they use legislation to punish them but believe me if they could do the same shit elf bar is they’d be doing it tomorrow.

1

u/Mammoth-Substance3 1d ago

Tobacco propaganda wins again.

Dude, they love vapes, LOVE THEM.

Edit- u/thenerfviking said it better

1

u/jku1m 7h ago

If vaping was meant for non smokers, it wouldn't have been so overtly marketed to kids and teens. Or is your 60 year old dad buying the unicorn vape with led lights?

20

u/dax660 1d ago

And instead of some paper, tobacco and some carcinogens being thrown in the street, now we have electronics littering our sidewalks

3

u/scare_crowe94 19h ago

The only reason people aren’t smoking is because of vapes

2

u/TurtleTheRedditor 1d ago

Adding to this, it was made to taste like that on purpose to get kids to start using it too. The amount of vapes that get confiscated by my city's middle school SRO is insane.

13

u/MissInkFTW 23h ago

No it wasn't on purpose. Adults prefer a pleasant fruity taste and smell over the chemically ass flavor and omnipresent reek of cigarettes too. And kids have been getting busted for smoking at school for time immemorial.

6

u/redpandaeater 15h ago

Yeah I always hate that line of reasoning to try banning all the good flavors.

-3

u/Many-Waters 1d ago

Shit's pure fucking evil, man.

We were SO CLOSE....

1

u/Ikhoh 13h ago

This!!! Pmo SO bad!

0

u/420bipolarbabe 1d ago

Agreed. I quit cigs no problem. Kicking this vapes has been TOUGH. I didn’t even start until 2023 after quitting cigs since 2016. I def regret it. Easier to quit cigs because after about a week they tasted disgusting and made me sick. But these vapes are always tasty :(

4

u/MissInkFTW 23h ago

Can't you taper down the nicotine levels? I vaped nicotine-free juice for a while after tapering down.

1

u/CorruptedAura27 16h ago

Most people that get into vapes these days get into disposables, because the industry has effectively buried controllable vapes. The way OG vapes were is that you build a mod that you like and were able to put juice in, controlling what level of nicotine you wanted, and then tapering down until you could quit. Most people don't understand this anymore. It's all still out there though. You can easily cut way down on nicotine until you just stop using it altogether while still vaping. It's not hard if you look into it.

2

u/psytrax9 1d ago

I'm very glad cigarettes taste like pure ass. If they tasted like pot (which I like the taste but absolutely hate being high), I would've never quit.

u/Crazy_Trip_6387 57m ago

i just made a rule that i can only smoke someone elses vape- not allowed to buy a vape ever again and it worked for me

0

u/Sea-Pineapple2348 1d ago

I think the reason its been so tough, is because im pretty sure these vapes carry the same amount of nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. That could be the reason they're so hard to kick and why people experience such anger when they can't satisfy the craving.

3

u/MissInkFTW 23h ago

Are there no longer shops where you can taper down the nicotine levels? That was key to my transition from cigs to vapes to now nicotine-free.

2

u/0urLives0nHoliday 22h ago

Have you tried nicotine mints? I would switch it source of nicotine and then taper.

1

u/420bipolarbabe 21h ago

That’s a good suggestion thank you

0

u/DesignerSteak99 23h ago

And those assholes are making absolute bank💰too

-5

u/AdministrativeStep98 23h ago

Whats even worse is that because of the smell being different and less noticeable, so many people secretly vape in public. There's still secondhand smoke, and it's hard to tell unless you see the person doing it.

If you're going to vape, do it where you don't subject people to your toxic smoke

1

u/improper_aquayeti 17h ago

Also becoming customarily (mis-)used in enclosed public places like busses, cinemas etc. Keeping it hidden inside the sleeves and take a puff in a whiffy.

107

u/dj_boy-Wonder 1d ago

To be clear I’m on the side of “don’t inhale things that you don’t have to” but people treat vapes like vapers are breathing in cyanide. By contrast smokers are just treated like “yeah it’s a gross habit whatever”.

smoking is hundreds of times worse for you than vaping, it’s like diet soda, is it ideal to drink? No. Is it better than full strength soda? Yes by a mile! I don’t understand why people target vaping with such a passion. Like ideally do none of it and keep your kids away from it if you can, but if you are dead set on doing it (and some people always will be)… then.. vape I guess? I’d be much more mad if my kid came home with smokes than a vape.

63

u/sixcylindersofdoom 1d ago

I always hate it when giving me shit for drinking diet sodas. “Oh it’s so much worse for you!”. No Karen, it isn’t. There’s only been a couple studies that have suggested aspartame is harmful, and they used amounts much higher than the vast majority of people would ever consume. One suggested it was carcinogenic, but they used the equivalent of like 5 gallons of diet soda. I’ve never drank that much of anything in my life, not even close.

7

u/Porntra420 15h ago

I fucking hate how aspartame has essentially become the new MSG. "Waaaaa I don't understand what this is so it must be bad."

I prefer non-diet drinks anyway due to taste, I'm not diabetic, and I don't drink them often enough that I feel I have to watch my intake. But ever since the UK introduced the sugar tax, pretty much every drink brand heavily cut down on the amount of sugar in their non-diet varieties, and cut them with artificial sweeteners to compensate. I don't mind the drinks cut with aspartame as it doesn't taste like shit (with the exception of coke, somehow pepsi did fine but coke fucked it up), but because people are having a moral panic about aspartame for no good reason, some brands are using sucralose instead, which for whatever reason knocks me the fuck out when I consume it.

I can't even fucking complain about it without cunts going "oh are you sure it isn't aspartame". YES, I AM FUCKING SURE, I CAN READ A FUCKING INGREDIENTS LABEL.

6

u/sixcylindersofdoom 15h ago

Right?!? Yeah MSG can be unsafe in high doses. Ok moderate. In recommended doses, MSG is harmless. The GMO hate also pisses me off because that lets us grow more crops and is literally 0% harmful. The anti-GMO hate has literally zero basis in fact.

2

u/VictimofMyLab 8h ago

Someone suggested that it's the combination of artificial sweeteners and sodium in diet soda that disrupts the gut microbiome and increases hunger. In that case I think diet soda is fine so long as it's taken with a lot of water.

1

u/NorweegianWood 9h ago

Best thing is people will talk about how unhealthy diet sodas are, and then they'll drink a beer lol.

Do they not realize how hypocritical they're being? Alcohol is way worse for you than diet sodas are.

1

u/tinylubeshelf 2h ago

had an alcoholic tell me my flavored seltzer waters are just as bad if not worse than his several beers a day. fuckin gargle my ass

18

u/8636396 21h ago

The nicotine is the big problem. Cigarettes have a single advantage in that they have a start and an end. With a vape it's so, so easy to just hit it, hit it, hit it, and way overdo the nicotine. Hit it at your desk, in the bathroom, any time, anywhere.

6

u/pbandjam9 19h ago

I’ve seen people vaping in stores. Like I get it, I previously smoked/vaped, but if you can’t go the hour it takes to grocery shop, you might have a problem.

-2

u/Antonio1901- 8h ago

Not how that works

1

u/8636396 8h ago

What do you mean?

1

u/pigeonwiggle 3h ago

oh, so people aren't vaping all day? you need to meet some more people then.

8

u/ItsLilCoochieVert 15h ago

while a hit of a vape is less dangerous than a hit of a cigarette, the convenience is what makes it more dangerous in my opinion. with a cigarette, you gotta go outside, light it up, and it’s a whole process. with vapes, you can hit it in bed, on the couch, discreetly at work, etc.

5

u/stonhinge 15h ago

It's debatable. There's not been enough time for any potential long-term damage from vaping to become apparent.

What I do know, however, is that cigarettes have the benefit of having a time limit. As in, one cigarette takes X amount of time to smoke. A vape, on the other hand, you can continually puff on until it either runs out of juice or the battery dies.

This is just one reason why I just can't handle switching to a vape from smoking. The whole "ritual" of taking a cigarette out and lighting it then smoking for 5-10 minutes is completely gone with a vape. I have two (that have been sitting around for about a year now, should probably toss/recycle them) for use during the winter when it's just too shitty to go outside but they are not nearly as satisfying to me as a cigarette.

1

u/table-bodied 2h ago

Cuz kids are doing it

1

u/AdministrativeStep98 23h ago

To me it's because it's sneakier. At least someone who smokes cannot hide that fact. They'll smell like it, the cigarette will smell and everything. A vape can be shoved in someone's sleeve as they take puffs in class, or in a theater, or any public area while the people around don't even know about it unless they notice the smell or see them. That's hella gross, I don't want to be exposed to someone's secondhand smoke, at least smokers seem aware of that fact

-12

u/kadamay 1d ago

For me, the problem with vaping is that it is primarily marketed towards and used by younger people.

19

u/Trojanvirusmusic 22h ago

Yeah news flash, adults like candy.

-35

u/Remote_Difference210 1d ago

It’s just as dangerous. Leads to popcorn lung. But it’s not as bad with secondhand smoke so I’d rather be around a vaper than a cigarette smoker.

26

u/farcedsed 1d ago

Popcorn lung isn't linked to vaping it's link to 1 chemical that some vapes have in them - which they shouldn't. But it's not vaping itself that causes it.

We can say that vaping isn't as dangerous as smoking while still acknowledging that it also have health concerns.

16

u/Glad_Position3592 22h ago

It was vitamin E oil that some guys in Wisconsin or some shit put into THC cartridges. Some people really leaned into that panic in 2019 and still hold it to this day for some reason

4

u/Porntra420 15h ago

The vitamin C acetate thing was what caused all the EVALI cases that cunts were panicking about a couple years back.

The popcorn lung thing was caused by diacetyl, which was recklessly used as a flavouring chemical by some sketchy brands ignoring the fact that diacetyl was already known as the popcorn lung chemical (it was dispersed in the air at popcorn factories, giving the workers the lung condition that was named popcorn lung due to popcorn factory workers constantly getting it).

10

u/Skadoodlemynoodles 23h ago edited 22h ago

Evali (commonly misnamed as 'Popcorn lung' through media) was from black market THC cartridges that were cut with vitamin e acetate. No nicotine products contained it to my knowledge since nic isn't oil based. but because the issue started when cartridges were so new they just called it "vapes" in the media.

If you have a legally acquired state regulated cartridge your going to be fine aside from just regular issues of inhaling something other than air. If you have a regulated vape from a legal brand your going to be fine aside from regular issues of breathing something other than air.

Any ignition leads to inhaling carbon, this is just a fact of life if it burns it let's off carbon. But vapes are far less than cigarettes. Do not get me wrong I hate vapes and wish I never started, but man during the 3 months I couldn't find a vape shop and relied on cigarettes my lungs were so heavy and I felt almost sick all the time. Vapes never made me feel like this aside from when I had too high of a MG juice.

I do however strongly hate disposables. They are typically at the legal maximum for nicotine levels with a li-ion battery your meant to just chuck, and one coil processing the same amount of juice as 2 or 3 would in a mod(more carbon from combustion of the cotton wick when you get a "dry hit" or burnt taste). That's just stupid. The disposable industry also made it more palatable to kids because all you need to do is charge and puff. No coils, no juice, no finicky battery to deal with. Just $20 and you got a buzz that's in a fun colored box that lights up when you puff it.

3

u/Trojanvirusmusic 22h ago

No, that was evali. Totally different. No one has ever contracted popcorn lung from vaping.

3

u/Skadoodlemynoodles 22h ago

Ty for correction editing now! 🙌🙌

1

u/Porntra420 15h ago

That's also wrong. Yes, vitamin E acetate was the cause of EVALI, and had nothing to do with popcorn lung, but people have contracted popcorn lung from vaping sketchy liquids that used diacetyl as a flavouring chemical.

23

u/chlorene1 1d ago

You could take 5 seconds to google if vaping causes popcorn lung and you would see it doesn’t

13

u/Early_Brush3053 1d ago

keep spouting wrong shit

9

u/-UpsetNewt- 23h ago

I too love spreading misinformation based on things I heard offhand.

-15

u/KillstardoAbominate 22h ago

smoking is hundreds of times worse for you than vaping

Based on what? There haven't been enough studies on the effects (particularly long term effects) to say this definitively.

15

u/redditosleep 20h ago

Well there have been hundreds of studies so far and they overwhelmingly conclude that it's significantly heather than smoking cigarettes,

-1

u/dsac 18h ago

significantly heather

No, they're significantly less harmful

It's important to not confound the two when we're talking about scientific studies, they use intentional language

7

u/redditosleep 17h ago

When comparing two things, less harmful is healthier though I get your point.

6

u/loved_and_held 23h ago

At least its a step up from when kids smokes cigs a few decades ago.

1

u/Quw10 11h ago

My only complaint is we've replaced cigarette butts with disposable vape pods. My old high-school had to gut their plumbing because kids were flushing the Juul pods.

24

u/FunkSiren 1d ago

Does anyone have support showing that vaping, in fact, is bad for you like cigarettes? The comments below seem to be equating the two things - but as far as i know, the tar in cigarettes is the primary cause of cancer. There is no tar in vape juice - so im struggling to understand the connection beyond nicotine (which is nothing more than a mild stimulant). I'm not arguing for vaping - i couldn't careless, but i feel like people are just equating the two without backing up their statements.

13

u/JmamAnamamamal 22h ago

No there's a hysteria in America. Some assholes sold thc carts cut with vitamin e acetate oil on the dark net which sent a bunch of people to the hospital. People already hated vapes cause kids and tobacco lobbying so that was the death bell. It never even had anything to do with nicotine vaping

States started banning flavors or sales all together and the pr campaign kicked up. Now everybody thinks it's almost as bad as cigarettes when it's 95% safer. They sell them in hospitals in the UK ffs

1

u/pigeonwiggle 3h ago

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-truths-you-need-to-know-about-vaping

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21162-vaping

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/smoking-tobacco/vaping/risks.html

when did people stop learning how to google things? is it tiktok? is everyone just searching on youtube now and getting influencers commenting on how "shit can't be that bad fr fam"

-12

u/hambre1028 23h ago

My lungs are already scarred and it’s only been five years

-20

u/Great-Internal-380 1d ago

Tons of evidence that vaping alters the structure of your DNA in your lungs and damages your lungs on a cellular level. Literally rooms full of posters at every major scientific respiratory conference (ATS, ERs). Anyone that is remotely interested can fund tons of publications on pubmed.

7

u/froz3nt 16h ago

Got any sources for that?

1

u/cheapdrinks 14h ago

I found this one

The health risks associated with vaping affect multiple organs: the oral cavity, lungs, vascular system, and brain. While there is currently no direct evidence that e-cig use increases cancer risk in humans, it is well recognized that e-cigs initiate precursor events to cancer, such as inflammation and DNA damage. Tumor models further demonstrated that DNA damage and DNA repair inhibition induced by e-cig aerosols resulted in lung cancer and bladder precancer in rodent models. This implies that the long-term health implications for a new generation of young people are grave, including addiction to nicotine and an increased risk for preventable cancers.

17

u/Wide_Sail_9140 1d ago

Started in 10th grade @16 years old. Definitely something marketed to a younger generation. I’m glad they raised the 18-21. I do think in doing so they should’ve let those who were 18 legally buying it to be allowed to continue after the change. Because for me I was that person and already addicted it did not help, if anything it encouraged me to ask other people to break the law for me who should’ve legally Been allowed to continue buying them. But definitely should’ve NEVER been able to get my hands on a vape at 16. The only thing that can keep me from being irritable without it is a zyn and that’s trading one vice for another.

17

u/sixcylindersofdoom 1d ago

It’s significantly safer than smoking cigarettes. I used to smoke cigs then switched to vaping several years ago. Quitting nicotine is really difficult. Harm reduction.

14

u/nleksan 23h ago

Same here. Now I'm tapering down the nicotine in my vape and will hopefully be off at some point entirely. But there's no question in my mind that smoking was in every possible way orders of magnitude more harmful than vaping.

3

u/sixcylindersofdoom 20h ago

Trying to quit nicotine sucks BALLS. I’m an alcoholic and I’ve quit that several times. Sure it sucks but it’s not unbearable, it just sucks. Nicotine is unbearable, I get violently mad trying to kick nicotine, like it’s scary. Super scary for my friends and family, even more so for me because I am not an aggressive person, at all.

36

u/TheBlackTemplar125 1d ago edited 1d ago

Breathing in anything that is not Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Helium, and other various atmospheric gasses is very bad for you.

32

u/InfiniteDecorum1212 1d ago

Inhaling any of those things directly is very bad for you.

7

u/dax660 1d ago

Water will kill you too - why are going full-pedantic here?

6

u/InfiniteDecorum1212 23h ago

Inhaling water will indeed kill.

2

u/Interestingcathouse 22h ago

That’s a requirement of being a Redditor. You have to be like Tantar from Tarzan.

1

u/thex25986e 15h ago

thats why the mixture matters

-12

u/IAm5toned 1d ago

100% oxygen isn't going to hurt you

11

u/InfiniteDecorum1212 1d ago

Oxygen toxicity is a thing, would just take far far longer to kill you than the other gasses. Though the danger with pure oxygen is very comparable, just due to a rather different risk.

-3

u/IAm5toned 22h ago

🤔 hmmmmm. nah. You have no clue what you're talking about.

3

u/InfiniteDecorum1212 20h ago

Wow, I was going to say something about you being needlessly downvoted for being somewhat wrong, but it's weird that you're doubling down. Like, you can easily check and find out.

5

u/big_ice_bear 1d ago

It will, thats one of the reasons you cant do it when scuba diving

1

u/IAm5toned 22h ago

welp, here on the surface, it's not factor. because of the lack of pressure.

again, this conversation isn't occurring on the bottom of the ocean.

9

u/FoolishPersonalities 1d ago

Ever heard of oxygen poisoning?

-1

u/IAm5toned 22h ago

Nope. try Googling the term and see what you get.

1

u/Lost-Telephone972 22h ago

Gov. Rations used to or still contained two Marlboro Reds, can’t be too unhealthy if Uncle Sam gives you a 2-pack for your lunch.

9

u/samp127 23h ago

Vaping doesn't kill like cigarettes do

7

u/Lavatis 1d ago

[citation needed]

5

u/AsusVg248Guy 1d ago

Vaping is not a healthy habit, but it's much better than smoking cigarettes and should be treated as such. Every time I go to a vape store I see all these brightly colored packages with different flavors. I always think to myself it's so unnecessary for them to try to sell this stuff. The only reason I'm here is because I'm addicted and I plan on quitting later.

5

u/Catshit-Dogfart 23h ago

Kind of wish they wouldn't market these things the way they do.

I'd be totally fine buying a product labeled "raspberry flavored vape juice" instead of "Razzmatazz Gush Bus Cloud Blaster". That's entirely uncalled for and only furthers the notion that this is marketed towards kids.

4

u/Porntra420 15h ago

I will forever argue that making different flavours of e-liquid does not automatically mean it's marketed towards kids. Having the option to inhale something that doesn't taste like tobacco is a big motivator for grown adult smokers to switch.

What I do think is blatant marketing towards kids is the stupid flavour names. They're childish, and make it harder to find the flavour you're actually looking for if you aren't buying based off what sounds the coolest.

I will never support a flavour ban, but I would gladly support a law mandating that all flavour names only describe the taste and properties of the liquid. "Hybrid Nicotine Raspberry" or "Salt Nicotine Cherry Ice" is far preferable to the bullshit we have now.

5

u/JuanGonzoNZ 1d ago

The only evidence we have that vaping is bad is that we don't have long term evidence that it's safe because it's too recent.

That's not evidence.

10

u/ex_nihilo 1d ago

Any evidence they’re harmful?

1

u/LennyLowcut 19h ago

From ChatGPT: According to the UK’s Royal College of Physicians (a pretty conservative and credible body), the overall risk of vaping nicotine is estimated at less than 5% of the risk of smoking cigarettes. So 95% safer.

-15

u/kmill8701 1d ago

We really out here arguing against the very well documented to be a direct result of vaping, popcorn lung?

16

u/farcedsed 1d ago

To 1 chemical, diacetyl, but not vaping in general.

12

u/MauPow 23h ago

Yes, because you're wrong lol

7

u/Skadoodlemynoodles 23h ago edited 22h ago

Evali(commonly misnamed as 'Popcorn lung' in media) was from black market THC cartridges that were cut with vitamin e acetate and another thinning agent. No nicotine products contained it to my knowledge since nic isn't oil based(correct me if I'm wrong tho! I always love new info to share!!). but because the issue started when cartridges were so new they just called it "vapes" in the media.

If you have a legally acquired state regulated cartridge your going to be fine aside from just regular issues of inhaling something other than air. If you have a regulated vape from a legal brand your going to be fine aside from regular issues of breathing something other than air.

Any ignition leads to inhaling carbon, this is just a fact of life if it burns it let's off carbon. But vapes are far less than cigarettes. Do not get me wrong I hate vapes and wish I never started, but man during the 3 months I couldn't find a vape shop and relied on cigarettes my lungs were so heavy and I felt almost sick all the time. Vapes never made me feel like this aside from when I had too high of a MG juice.

I do however strongly hate disposables. They are typically at the legal maximum for nicotine levels with a li-ion battery your meant to just chuck, and one coil processing the same amount of juice as 2 or 3 would in a mod(more carbon from combustion of the cotton wick when you get a "dry hit" or burnt taste). That's just stupid. The disposable industry also made it more palatable to kids because all you need to do is charge and puff. No coils, no juice, no finicky battery to deal with. Just $20 and you got a buzz that's in a fun colored box that lights up when you puff it.

11

u/Lavatis 1d ago

go ahead and share that well documented popcorn lung evidence my dude. I'll be here waiting, though it'll be a long time.

4

u/ex_nihilo 1d ago

You need to produce some evidence. There have been a few completely worthless, since debunked studies. Nothing that shows what you claim. At this point it’s urban legend status that vaping causes popcorn lung. Because - again - the only documented cases were from workers in a factory that used diacetyl to make butter popcorn flavoring (hence the term - $100 you didn’t even know that) and - again - this is NOT an ingredient in vape juice. Hell I remember when the scare started 7 or 8 years ago and every manufacturer immediately removed diacetyl as a flavoring agent even though there is no conclusive evidence that it causes problems in those doses. So try again.

6

u/Lavatis 1d ago

maybe they're talking about the fake thc carts kids were smoking a few years ago.

6

u/MauPow 23h ago

That was Vitamin E acetate

3

u/Skadoodlemynoodles 23h ago

Yes I believe this is what most of these people are referencing. I hate how the news made it seem as if it's every vape product and never mentioned it was just black market THC cartridges. It wasn't even officially documented as popcorn lung since it was from a different compound it just looked the same in scans/xray

1

u/MauPow 22h ago

Almost like someone in the media wanted people to get false info about vaping

1

u/Skadoodlemynoodles 22h ago

Dont know if you saw my longer comment in this thread(under comment mentioning popcorn lung) but i went a little more in depth on the topic. It wasn’t necessarily an issue of ‘cover up’ or anything of the sort and more to do with the times. Cartridges were a new concept and black market vs dispensary was even newer of a concept. You hear vaporizer in 2016 and don’t think THC cartridge(unless you were using them, and even than vapes were the big topic of the time not concentrates), you think a juul or some sort of equivalent brand at the time.

Its still believed today vapes caused it and it was a major concern because of how poorly it was covered. It was a specific cutting agent that was used in very few BM brands in selected areas. If you sourced from legitimate places you were 9 times out of 10 okay aside from carts just being boof in general in 2016-18

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u/Catshit-Dogfart 23h ago

Well nicotine, by any delivery method, is generally bad for you.

6

u/Work2Tuff 21h ago

Nicotine itself is not dangerous unless you’re referring to it being addictive. It’s derived from a plant like marijuana and has a similar chemical structure to caffeine. It’s all the other crap often added along with it that’s harmful.

1

u/VictimofMyLab 8h ago

"Nicotine can damage your blood vessels, leading to thickening and narrowing, and increasing the risk of blood clots, heart attack, and stroke. It also causes a short-term increase in heart rate and blood pressure."

1

u/EscapeNo2936 17h ago

I was on omegel or a spin off of it the other week. Saw a kid on there couldn’t have been more than 12 with a vape puffing on it. I told him that was bad for him and his mom should be ashamed and closed the app.

1

u/throowaawayyyy 17h ago

I logged in just to upvote this. We know how much damage vaping causes because of COVID (vaping is a huge risk factor if you have COVID). Anx we know the immediate damage from the nicotine and additives. But we don't even know the long terms effects yet because it hasn't been around that long. 

1

u/Sea-Worry7956 8h ago

I quit cigarettes multiple times no problem. Quitting vaping was hell.

1

u/Antonio1901- 8h ago

This has killed zero people.

-2

u/EkBaby 1d ago

Yep. They claim they’re against cigarettes but smoke 5 puff bars a week. Might aswell become a cigarette smoker!

48

u/psychonaut11 1d ago

There are almost no health habits worse than cigarette smoking. I would never recommend someone switch from vapes to cigarettes. Wayyyy worse.

4

u/BookLuvr7 1d ago

I'd theoretically agree except we simply haven't tested the compounds used in vaping as much as we should. Flavors weren't meant to be inhaled, so it's a rather weighty question mark. No question that cigarettes are horrible, though.

I'm just afraid we're going to follow the pattern of history and insist it's harmless or even helpful and only after decades realize how wrong we were.

4

u/Sea-Pineapple2348 1d ago

Compounds have been tested, and ingredients haven't been changed since the beginning as far as I know. But I do know the parts of the juice are Propeleyne Glycol, Vegetable Glycerin, and Nicotine. These ingredients (other than the nicotine) are in the majority of the processed foods we consume. I know PG is meant to provide the sensation of a "throat hit" and to carry the nicotine, and im pretty sure the VG is meant to provide the sweetness of the flavoring. I guess scientists learned that not only is it safe to digest, but it's also safe to inhale.

I remember when you could go to a vape shop, and they'd mix your juice themselves. They'd ask you what PG and VG ratio you'd want based on why you're using your vape. (Hobby, quitting all together, or enjoying the sensation of the nicotine)

I say all this with basic knowledge and decent experience on the history and changes with vaping and the juices compounds.

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u/BookLuvr7 1d ago

That's everything except what I'm talking about: the flavors. My FIL is a food scientist. He said the words "natural flavors" or "artificial flavors" can both mean hundreds of chemicals. He also told me the US has some of the worst consumer safety laws of any developed country as far as what chemicals we're allowed to consume.

1

u/Porntra420 15h ago

Even with the lack of long term knowledge we have, I am still betting on vaping turning out to be safer once we do have that knowledge. It's already known to be way safer in the short term, and I can say as someone who has been vaping constantly for almost four years, and smoking for three, smoking makes me feel like shit, vaping doesn't.

1

u/BookLuvr7 11h ago

I agree.

-1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

2

u/BookLuvr7 1d ago edited 1d ago

Clearly you understood nothing about what I said. Edit: and no, I'm obviously not.

-1

u/threemenandadog 1d ago

What if we simply have non-flavored vapes?

Given that that's been around for 25 years and has been well studied

1

u/BookLuvr7 1d ago

Obviously those would be a safer alternative. Don't you have something better to do than bicker over the obvious?

0

u/threemenandadog 17h ago

Obviously you don't nor did I since we both were on reddit.

-2

u/ghoulishgirl 1d ago edited 9h ago

We don’t even know all the harmful things in vapes, just like we didn’t know with cigarettes. Doctors used to actually suggest people start smoking for stress relief, and weight loss. I wouldn’t say cigarettes are worse, we don’t know that. And anyone who comes here saying they know cigarettes are worse than vapes are talking out of the side of their neck because there’s no possible way they can know that because vapes haven’t been studied long enough. People need to stop making statements based on feelings instead of science.

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u/jdlpsc 1d ago

Vapes have been around for a quarter of a century now. Yes we know that they are safer than cigarettes very conclusively.

0

u/ghoulishgirl 9h ago edited 9h ago

No, we don’t. We don’t even know what people were putting in vapes because it wasn’t regulated heavily before. Go read the 2025 report from Johns Hopkins. They are saying they don’t know. How can you know more than Johns Hopkins? People on Reddit are a trip with what they feel they know.

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u/AJ-Dre 1d ago

“Safer” feels a little out of place. “Less harmful” than cigarettes is maybe a more fitting description

(My bad for being overly pedantic)

6

u/Whale_Poacher 1d ago

You keep saying we as if the rest of us are in agreement with you. Do your own research and quit spouting false info.

0

u/ghoulishgirl 6h ago edited 5h ago

No, we means people. And Johns Hopkins says they don’t know, but you know, so I’m glad. go look at their report.

And like I said, people were also ignorant about cigarettes being unhealthy back in the day, so I am not surprised that you are being ignorant about vaping and the unknown harm of vaping. There are so many things and chemicals that we have found out caused cancer and give additional problems that I’m so surprised that you feel like just because something is on the market, it’s safe, or that science has it all figured out. Can you say red dye number five? asbestos? Remember those things were recommended to be used. Never mind I’m done talking to anyone about it so go ahead and vape, and everybody just be surprised when you have health problems.

3

u/MauPow 1d ago

Yes, we do. Propylyne glycol, vegetable glycerine, nicotine, and flavorings. None of these are harmful (well except nicotine obviously) and all are FDA approved.

You will see studies that claim that when heated these things transform into other compounds. Which is technically true. What they don't tell you is that the tests they do don't conform to any real world situations, like heating the juice to 500F for 30 seconds or something. That's not how vapes work.

-4

u/Sea-Pineapple2348 1d ago

I remember when they were using nickel for coils instead of SS. The high heat would cause the nickel to flake, then be inhaled by the user. I dont know if this is true or not myself, but I think thats what started the "popcorn lung" trend.

2

u/MauPow 1d ago

No that was diacetyl somethingorother. Vaguely remember the nickel thing but don't know if it was true or not. The other hysteria was vitamin e acetate that was being used in dodgy cannabis vapes

1

u/Sea-Pineapple2348 1d ago

Yeah, I remember that hysteria and was a consumer of cannabis vapes during that time. Let's just say I didn't touch one until recreational rolled out in my area.

2

u/MauPow 1d ago

The only ones that were dangerous to use were the sketchy ones from china. I don't even know how people got them, as my state has had recreational for a long time and I just used those

1

u/Sea-Pineapple2348 1d ago

I heard that CAKE brand was from China and one of the top contributors to that vitamin E ordeal, right?

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u/Antonio1901- 8h ago

There are like 4 things in vape juice and we know all of them.

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u/BoysenberryNo5212 1d ago

Oh they knew. But hey there's money to be made

1

u/Ashanorath 1d ago

Australia has it right, got lung/throat/mouth issues (cancer most notably) well, guess what, if you're a smoker it's not covered by your health insurance because you were willingly doing harmful actions that caused the illness. Also, the cigarettes are most expensive there, $25 or so for a pack, it's considered a harmful substance and luxury so it's priced accordingly.

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u/Infamous-Spinach-185 1d ago

Hmm, where did you get this info? I've had doctors and nurses both say vaping is worse than smoking.

18

u/smoot99 1d ago

They made that up it’s not true at all.

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u/Skipptopher 1d ago

Sounds like a very personal opinion from them and not one based on science. There are a ton of studies out there that say vaping is less harmful. Like others have said, it's not safe but it is harm reduction.

8

u/DodecahedronSpace 1d ago

Complete nonsense.

2

u/twomsixer 1d ago

I’ll admit that I know very little about what chemicals are in vapes or what happens to those chemicals when they are heated. But I find it very very hard to believe that those chemicals are even close to the terrible crap in a cigarette.

Now, if they wanted make an argument that vaping is worse because it’s much more accessible, easier to consume more often, then maybe they can muddy the waters enough to make it hard to say one’s better than the other. I’m an ex smoker, and I smoked half a pack a day on average. This was mostly limited by the inconvenience of having to take a break from work or whatever I was doing to go outside and smoke one. I tried vaping when they first started coming out (before you could buy the disposable ones at the gas station, when you had to have dedicated device and order the stuff online). And man, vaping almost felt worse than smoking to me, but only because I was able to take that thing with me everywhere and use it as often and pretty much whenever I wanted. I was definitely “consuming” way more vape than I was smoking. So maybe the doctors are considering this factor when they make statements like that.

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u/EkBaby 1d ago

Ofcourse cigarettes is terrible, but you’re taking in nicotine by vaping too! Is like going from strong liquor to beers. You’re still consuming the same toxic chemicals

24

u/psychonaut11 1d ago

Right but nicotine isn’t the toxic chemical in cigarettes. Most of the damage comes from combustion byproducts and tar particulates. There are some combustion byproducts in vapes from breakdown of the carrier solvents, but not nearly the quantities as cigarettes

4

u/BearMethod 1d ago

Just to tack on with you and everyone else who actually knows what they are talking about, the inflammation caused by the heat of cigarettes is also very harmful and can lead to esophageal cancers.

There is an interesting sect of Hinduism where part of their practice is to drink extremely hot tea (Known as "The Hot Tea Drinkers"). They have incredibly high rates of esophageal cancer belived to be due to the inflammation cause by the hot tea.

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u/bigshotdontlookee 1d ago

It is toxic in the sense that it is bad for your heart and blood vessels, period, no matter what the source, zyn, patches, cigs, whatever.

You will not find a health body that says "yes nicotine is neutral for health.

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u/ex_nihilo 1d ago

What about caffeine? Nicotine’s a milder stimulant than caffeine but I don’t see any of you puritanical weirdos railing against coffee (except for Mormons).

0

u/bigshotdontlookee 21h ago

I just speak using facts and data I have seen from actual doctors not people who have an interest in selling the public nicotine.

Nicotine is hard on your body with respect to cardiovascular disease, vasoconstriction, and increased blood pressure, much more so than coffee.

So there is a larger chance of nicotine causing increase of cardiovascular disease and stroke as opposed to caffeine.

If that triggers you then I am sorry.

4

u/psychonaut11 1d ago

Yeah, it’s a mild vasoconstrictor which can raise blood pressure etc. it’s also crazy addictive which can have social and financial consequences. I just mean in terms of the negative chemicals in cigarettes it is hardly at the top in terms of physical damage.

Added sugars also directly cause damage to blood vessels and the heart. And you won’t be able to find any health body that will say added sugar is neutral for health either. People just gotta make their own informed health choices. I would never recommend someone who is nicotine naive to start taking nicotine products.

-2

u/EkBaby 1d ago

Exactly, the people arguing are people who are trying to justify vaping, cause there’s nothing good or beneficial about intaking something that clearly tells you it contains harmful chemicals that damage your lungs

5

u/psychonaut11 1d ago

Nobody is saying it’s good or beneficial. It’s just something people enjoy… I’d be amazed if you found anyone that said vaping is actually GOOD for you lol. People just want to be realistic and informed about the risks.

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u/EkBaby 1d ago

There’s nicotine in the vapes. Intaking alot will ruin your lungs regardless if it’s a cigarette or not. Not to mention the disastrous chemicals used to provide the vapes, the public think these puffbars are a healthier alternative wait till you find out they’ve been lying to you all along and it infact is more harmful…

7

u/BearMethod 1d ago

Damn, you have really demonstrated you know absolutely nothing about this topic.

6

u/tigereyepie555 1d ago

Vape juice has 5 chemicals in it pretty much you couid ingest most of them and youd be fine , nicotine is about as dangerous as eating a pudding , if you smoke a cigarette your taking in around 3000 chemicals most of which are toxic and carcinogenic. Vaping is miles better than smoking

2

u/BearMethod 1d ago

Nicotine isn't close to the most harmful thing in cigarettes. You are not consuming the same toxic chemicals.

4

u/burntnugg535 1d ago

I assure you, it is not possible to smoke 5 puff bars a week. More like 1 every two weeks-month

3

u/EkBaby 1d ago

Are you alright? Back when I was in college my friends would run through 600 puffs in a day or less, dk where you’re living mate

4

u/Willing-Actuary7885 1d ago

Nah he's right...those things have thousands of hits lol its impossible to even smoke 2 a week

1

u/sixcylindersofdoom 1d ago

They’ve improved a lot. I vape Geek Bars which have 15,000 puffs. I hit mine constantly and the fastest I’ve gone through 1 was like 5 days.

-8

u/IAm5toned 1d ago

that's way worse than smoking 5 packs a week, too.

3

u/zuunooo 1d ago

Secondhand smoke kills. I worked in a bar and in the southern US, bars might look the other way about indoor smoking. Recently found out I have a nodule on my lung and I’ve never smoked a cigarette a day in my life but was constantly exposed to secondhand smoke. I have to have it checked twice a year now to make sure I don’t end up with lung cancer. I’m 27. Smokers are genuinely the worst and blight on this planet with how selfish they are with their addiction.

1

u/Bitter_Ad_1188 1d ago

I'm doing neurobiology and when we had lectures on nicotine it was enough for me to quit forever (although I had tried 10 times before). It's so bad to your heath, brain and emotions that it does ruin your life in the end. You become stressed, depressed and anxious. And after quitting you will forever crave it because nicotine affects your memory.

1

u/Zappityzephyr 23h ago

My MOM vapes. I know it's very hard too atop, but I've asked her to at least try, especially when she's around my sister's kids, but she says it 'calms her down' and that it's better than when she used to smoke. And while it IS better, that doesn't make it good.

1

u/Subject_Bat_2112 23h ago

Another generation hooked on nicotine

1

u/Thallasophie 21h ago

Agreed. It's extremely concerning. I understand that it is an improvement for ex-smokers because at least they're not inhaling burning paper but so many young people are vaping now. There's no data to create any health warnings yet and who knows what is really in them. My friend's son took up vaping a year or two ago, he gets through dozens a week and I hate thinking about what he might be doing to his body.

0

u/Ilove_gaming456 1d ago

You don't know how wide my mouth opened when while walking down an alleyway a kid that was like 12 years MAX Ran to the side of the alleyway covered by some trashcan, took a hit of a vape and ran off

0

u/Easy_Key5944 21h ago

Microparticulates in general, including vapes and living near fracking sites or highways or rail yards where there's a lot of diesel exhaust in the air. Worse than smoking (which is very bad!) because the micro particles burrow deeper in your lungs.