this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2025
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There is plenty of data we do have. Obviously we don’t have long-term data, but we also stand on the shoulders of all the scientific work that has been done leading up to now.
The biggest unknowns come from poor manufacturing standards and unknown effects from flavoring. We know how vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol inhalation affect us, they’ve been used in fog machines for ages (and PG is pumped into some hospital air vents). We know the effect nicotine has on the body. If you’re smart about sourcing your flavoring and avoid the obviously dangerous chemicals like butter flavoring, and you’re careful about your hardware, you can seriously minimize the risks involved.
Just like everything in life, it’s about risk management. We do all sorts of shit in our lives that’s more dangerous than vaping. Hell, living in a large city full of old vehicles is probably worse for you than vaping. Obviously not vaping is healthier than vaping. But vaping is so much healthier than smoking, and I can say that with complete confidence. I don’t want to be rude, but adding the “(that we know of)” about being safer in comparison to smoking is absurd.
When done properly, there is no combustion. (And when there is, oh boy do you know it.) That alone makes it safer. No tar, no ash, none of the myriad carcinogenic chemicals released by combusting plant matter. Even if you were just dry vaporizing tobacco it would be safer than smoking, but this is a step further. The nicotine has been extracted, you also cut out all the shit that comes with tobacco leaves.
I don’t vape myself, but I did years ago. It was not hard to minimize the risks.
I think you make a lot of solid points, I’m still just concerned about what we don’t know: primarily the chronic long-term effects of repeated use. Hanging out by a fog machine a couple times a month for a few hours or diffuse short-term exposures as a disinfectant in a hospital hvac system isn’t the same as someone directly sucking on a vape dawn until dusk. We don’t have a full generation to look at yet. But we will. There’s a lot of money to be made but give it two generations of data and there may be some trends popping up we can’t ignore.
I add my snarky () because unforeseen consequences do happen. There may be something we’re not catching. Something we simply won’t know until we know it. I’m not advocating for smoking, I’m just saying, be careful assuming a rapidly adopted product to save an industry under attack is really as harmless as it’s touted to be. History has shown something picked up as quickly as vaping and woven into society rarely comes without unforeseen consequences.
Also, most of the studies seem to be comparisons in realms we know smoking is damaging, but what about other less studied areas like long-term cognition or auto-immune disorders? I hope I’m wrong but it’s one of those time will tell scenarios. I think it’s better to just quit smoking if that’s the issue and for young people to be aware that “at least it’s not cigarettes” shouldn’t discount the potential risks. And whatever you do for god sake don’t chew!