Written by Menswear Style in Health & Fitness on the 8th February 2024

Since its very beginning, the world of vaping has been full of myths and fake news. Now that vaping has gotten so much more popular, those myths have proliferated, both in intensity and diversity. There are any number of things that have been said about the subject, but some have stuck more than others. Here, we explore some of the more important (and potentially dangerous) myths, debunking several of them in turn.

Vaping causes popcorn lung 

This is perhaps the most sensational myth, in no small part as a result of the highly imaginative name of the condition. To clear this one up, popcorn lung is a genuine condition that was caused in part due to excessive inhalation of a chemical - diacetyl - found in some e-liquids. This chemical was recognised early on as being problematic and was banned in most places. As a result, all e-liquids of high quality from suppliers such as Wholesale Disposable Vapes no longer contain the chemical, meaning the risk of getting popcorn lung is pretty much 0.

Vaping is as bad as (or worse) than smoking 

While the first myth at least had an origin of truth, this one is straight-up false. People are always suspicious of new trends and products, and will tend to make stuff up about them. From the internet to cars, there’s a long history of this occurring. If you look at the scientific consensus, you’ll find that vaping is substantially less harmful to your health compared to smoking. It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean that vaping is healthy - rather, it’s just ‘less bad’. If, however, you had to choose between the two from a health perspective, vaping would pretty much always be preferable. 

Secondhand vaping is as bad as secondhand smoking 

One of the worst things about smoking is that it doesn’t just harm the smoker - it also harms the people around them. If you’re a parent for example, and you smoke in the same room or vehicle as your child, you can cause significant long-term damage to their development and overall health. The idea that secondhand vapour is just as bad is simply false. While we’ll have to wait for even longer-term studies than the ones that have been carried out so far, in the short and medium term, second-hand vapour is far less detrimental to people’s health compared to second-hand smoke.

It’s important to clear up these myths, for a number of reasons. Perhaps most importantly, if people truly believe that vaping is just as bad for their health as smoking, they’re far less likely to try to use it as a tool to quit. Given that vaping can be a highly effective tool when used in this way, this could result in a substantial portion of the population remaining addicted to a damaging habit for far longer than necessary. People should be able to make informed decisions about their own health, based on the latest clinical data rather than some made-up opinions that the media decides deserve airtime.

Vaping causes popcorn lung, Vaping is as bad as or worse than smoking, and Secondhand vaping is as bad as secondhand smoking.