Is vaping near kids less harmful than smoking near them?

In further evidence that vaping is generally less damaging than smoking tobacco, if only slightly, a study of children in the US has found they absorb much less nicotine when exposed to vapes than from second-hand cigarette smoke.

"These findings suggest that switching from smoking to vaping indoors may substantially reduce, but not eliminate, children’s second-hand exposure to nicotine and other noxious substances," according to the University College London scientists who undertook the research.

While parents and adults have long been warned not to light up around children due to the ill-effects of passive smoking, the researchers said that the increasing prevalence of e-cigarette use has led to "concerns about children’s exposure to second-hand vapour."

But while it is seemingly better if parents vape rather than smoke cigarettes, the best option is to do neither - or at least make sure children are not exposed even to vapes if parents cannot kick the habit.

"We found that nicotine absorption is much lower in children who are exposed to second-hand e-cigarette vapour vs second-hand tobacco smoke, but still approximately five times higher than in those exposed to neither," the team said.

The findings were based on official US health data survey data from 2017-2020 and were published by the American Medical Association.

At the same time, vaping poses other risks to youths, and medical experts in the US have declared an vaping "epidemic" among teens. Research has warned that vaping teenagers run the risk of developing asthma. At the same time, vaping has been found to potentially offer a better option for smokers who want to quit than nicotine gum, which can be off-putting due to the nausea it can cause.