The question of whether “vapers smoke” highlights a common misunderstanding about the nature of the two activities. Smoking involves burning traditional tobacco products to release nicotine and other compounds. In contrast, vaping involves heating a liquid to create a fine mist, or aerosol, that is then inhaled. While both activities deliver nicotine and other substances, the physical and chemical processes are fundamentally different. The cloud from a cigarette is true smoke, but the cloud from an electronic device is technically an aerosol, which is a suspension of fine liquid droplets in the air.
How Vaping Differs From Traditional Smoking
The defining difference between smoking and vaping lies in the mechanism of delivery. Traditional smoking requires combustion, where tobacco is burned at extremely high temperatures. When a cigarette is puffed, the tip can reach approximately 900°C, chemically changing the tobacco and paper. This high-heat reaction creates a complex mixture of solid particles, gases, and the sticky residue known as tar.
Vaping operates on the principle of aerosolization without combustion. An electronic device uses a heating element, or coil, to warm e-liquid or vape juice. This liquid typically contains propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), flavorings, and nicotine. It is heated to a much lower temperature, usually between 100°C and 250°C. Since nothing is burned, the resulting output is an aerosol—a fine mist of tiny liquid droplets—rather than smoke.
Chemical Contents of Vapor Versus Smoke
The difference in physical process results in a profound difference in chemical output. Traditional cigarette smoke is a chemically complex mixture containing over 7,000 compounds, many generated directly by combustion. Among these are hundreds of toxic substances and at least 70 established carcinogens, including benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide. The solid particles produced by burning tobacco form tar, which coats the lungs.
The aerosol produced by vaping is composed primarily of the e-liquid’s main ingredients: vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol. These compounds are generally considered safe for consumption in foods and cosmetics, but their long-term effects when inhaled are not fully known. While the aerosol contains significantly fewer toxicants than smoke, it is not simply harmless water vapor. Studies show that levels of priority toxicants are reduced by as much as 99% compared to cigarette smoke.
The aerosol can still contain trace amounts of potentially harmful substances. These include heavy metals like nickel and lead that can leach from the device’s heating coil. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbonyl compounds, such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, can also be generated when the e-liquid is heated. The presence of these contaminants varies widely depending on the device’s power settings and the specific chemical composition of the flavorings used.
Secondhand Exposure Risks
The risk posed to bystanders is dramatically altered due to the nature of the emitted material. Secondhand smoke (SHS), a combination of the smoke exhaled by the smoker and the smoke from the burning tip, is a well-established health hazard. SHS exposes non-smokers to thousands of chemicals, including carbon monoxide and tar, which are linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease. There is no known safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand aerosol (SHA) from vaping devices presents a different risk profile to bystanders. The liquid droplets in the aerosol dissipate much faster and contain fewer harmful components than smoke particles. Bystanders are not exposed to combustion products, such as carbon monoxide or the vast majority of carcinogens found in smoke. This results in a substantially lower exposure to harmful particles, sometimes reported as a ten-fold decrease compared to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand aerosol is not entirely without consequence for those nearby. Nicotine is readily exhaled by the user and can be inhaled by bystanders, as can ultrafine particulate matter. The aerosol can also expose non-users to trace amounts of VOCs and heavy metals. While the health risk is considerably less than that posed by traditional secondhand smoke, researchers advise caution, especially around vulnerable populations like children and individuals with existing respiratory conditions.