Can Vaping Cause COPD?

It's long been established that smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - a group of conditions that make it hard to breathe and encompasses two health problems, emphysema and chronic bronchitis .

But if you swap out cigarettes for vaping (inhaling aerosol from an electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarette, vape pens), you're still causing inflammation and damage to your lungs - even if the long-term effects of vaping are yet to be determined. "In vaping, there is usually some sort of liquid solvent that you're vaporizing," says Jimmy Johannes, MD , a pulmonologist at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center in California. "Sometimes there's nicotine in there, and you might add some flavorants to the vaping product." Nicotine is the highly addictive substance found in traditional cigarettes as well. Some people also use e-cigarettes to vape cannabis , specifically tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical responsible for most of marijuana's psychological effects.

Part of the lungs' job is to filter out any outside exposures you breathe in, such as dust or other particles. But some substances, such as the chemicals found in e-cigarettes, are more difficult for your lungs to handle. "One of the potential things that can happen with exposing the lungs to outside respirable agents is acute lung injury," Dr. Johannes says. The chemicals themselves in e-cigarettes are harmful, and inhaling vaping particles can lead to inflammation and irritation in your lungs, he adds, further damaging the bronchial tubes and air sacs that are already impacted by COPD.

Can Vaping Damage Your Lungs?

Initially marketed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes in the mid-2000s, e-cigarettes have become a favorite among younger and older smokers. While adolescents may like e-cigarettes because of their novel design and use, many older adults view them as a way to stop smoking.

Since e-cigarettes have only been around for a few decades, it's too soon to know the long-term health effects of them. "It took many decades of cigarette smoking for us to realize it's especially bad for you, and I think vaping is in its infancy," says Johannes. "The data that's required to make any associations with injury or long-term harm usually requires decades of exposure."

But preliminary studies show that just like traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes may be linked to chronic lung problems. According to the American Lung Association, e-cigarettes contain a number of chemicals that are linked with lung disease, including acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and acrolein, an herbicide primarily used to kill weeds.

And research has found that people who currently or formerly used e-cigarettes had higher rates of COPD compared to people who never used e-cigarettes.

Just because e-cigarettes produce vapor - more specifically, aerosol - instead of smoke does not mean they don't produce secondhand emissions that are harmful to other people. A study found that nonsmoking adults who were exposed to secondhand e-cigarette aerosol for 30 minutes experienced symptoms like sore throat, cough, breathlessness, and headache that lasted up to 30 minutes after exposure.

And while e-cigarettes may be touted as helpful for quitting smoking, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not found any e-cigarette to be effective or safe for smoking cessation.

Dangers of Vaping Among Young Adults

A 2023 survey conducted by the FDA found that more than two million young people in middle school and high school currently use e-cigarettes.

One of the concerns with e-cigarette use in young people is that it can lead to trying other substances, as most nicotine use begins in adolescence. "A potentially bigger risk is that vaping products that have nicotine can result in nicotine addiction, which can then result in cigarette smoking," Johannes says. "And while we may not know as much about vaping, we definitely know a lot about the toxicity of cigarette smoking."

In addition to the physical effects of smoking - including an increased risk of COPD, lung cancer, and heart disease in the long term - the U.S. Surgeon General states that exposure to nicotine during the teen years can harm the developing adolescent brain.

Another concern is e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI), a severe lung illness that began in 2019.

More than 2,800 e-cigarette users (mostly teens and young adults) required hospitalization - the majority of them vaped e-cigarettes that contained THC.

Although these cases have declined in the years since, adolescents and young adults are likely still being affected by vaping, whether it's firsthand or secondhand.

While noticeable COPD symptoms can take many years to develop, people under 40 can still develop it, particularly if they start vaping at a younger age.

Can You Vape With COPD?

The short answer is no. And the longer answer is it's not a good idea. "There's always a risk there for anyone with any chronic lung condition, including COPD, that inhaling something that's not supposed to be inhaled can cause an inflammatory response that can exacerbate COPD," says Johannes. "We [doctors] naturally think it's something to avoid."

Research on vaping and COPD is limited, but one study found that in people with COPD who smoke traditional cigarettes, vaping may be an option to help with smoking cessation.

While vaping may be used as a strategy to stop smoking and ultimately help a person quit, this is a discussion you should have with your pulmonologist, Johannes advises.

More Research Is Needed

As more evidence is collected over time, scientists will be able to determine the long-term effects of vaping on health. But for now, more research is needed to understand the potential risks of e-cigarettes, the FDA acknowledges. In the meantime, based on the evidence available, it's recommended to steer clear of vaping.

The Takeaway

While electronic cigarettes may not be as harmful as traditional cigarettes, preliminary studies suggest that they may still not be safe for people with COPD. Vaping can also increase the likelihood of smoking traditional cigarettes among young people. Based on available data, experts recommend not vaping with COPD.

Resources We Trust

• Montreal Children's Hospital: Q: How Does ‘Vaping' E-Cigarettes Differ From Smoking Traditional Cigarettes?
• American Heart Association: Is Vaping Better Than Smoking?
• Johns Hopkins Medicine: ‘Vaping' Increases Odds of Asthma and COPD
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: E-Cigarettes (Vapes)

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

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Rohan Mankikar, MD

Reviewer

Rohan Mankikar, MD, is the chief of pulmonary medicine at Huntington Hospital and practices on Long Island. Originally from New Jersey, Dr. Mankikar studied medicine at The Medical University of Lublin in Poland. He completed his residency from Morehouse School Of Medicine–Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, and after graduating in 2014, he went on to serve as a chief resident. Thereafter, he completed a fellowship in pulmonary medicine from the University of South Carolina in 2017, where he served as a chief pulmonary fellow.

He was awarded Resident of The Year during residency and was inducted into the Arnold P. Gold Humanism Honor Society for his passion for teaching medical students. He received the Jason B. Spiers Best Teaching Fellow Award from the University of South Carolina.

He has authored several abstracts and research projects in the field of pulmonary–critical care medicine as well as serving on the committee for the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

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Erica Patino

Author

Erica Patino is a freelance writer and editor, content strategist, and usability specialist who has worked for a variety of online health outlets, including Healthline, Sharecare, and Twill Care. She was previously a senior editor at Everyday Health. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Hear 2 Tell, a website that covers advances in hearing loss treatment. Patino lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and twin sons. … See full bio See Our Editorial Policy Meet Our Health Expert Network