The more popular something becomes, the more myths and misinformation start to crop up. Especially if that thing is health-related, which is what’s happened with vaping and all of the misinformation dressed up as facts online.
One minute, you'll read that vaping is just as bad as smoking. The next, you'll hear that it's completely harmless. So, what should you actually believe?
You may or may not be surprised to learn that research published by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in 2026 found that 52% of adults who smoke believe vaping is just as harmful as, or more harmful than, smoking cigarettes.
While yes, vaping isn’t risk-free, it’s a less harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes. To clear up the confusion, we're looking at 10 common myths about vaping, from popcorn lung to second-hand vaping and what the evidence says.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it doesn’t come without its risks.
Nicotine is addictive but isn't the main cause of smoking-related cancer.
Vaping can help people quit smoking.
Vaping doesn't cause popcorn lung, and diacetyl is banned in the UK.
Second-hand vaping carries fewer known risks than second-hand cigarette smoke
UK vaping products are regulated, with restrictions on nicotine strengths, ingredients, and packaging.
The claim that one disposable vape delivers as much nicotine as 50 cigarettes is misleading, as nicotine content and absorption are different.
1. MYTH: VAPING IS JUST AS HARMFUL AS SMOKING CIGARETTES
One of the most common questions people ask is, 'Is vaping harmful in the same way that smoking a cigarette is?'
While smoking vapes doesn’t come without its risks, the risks aren’t nearly as harmful as the ones associated with cigarettes.
When you light a cigarette, you're burning tobacco, which releases thousands of toxins, many known to cause cancer. That includes harmful substances such as tar and carbon monoxide.
Vapes, on the other hand, heat e-liquid to create an aerosol that you inhale. Because there's no burning tobacco involved, users are generally exposed to fewer harmful chemicals.
However, while switching to vaping from cigarettes can reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals, if you’ve never smoked before, there’s no health benefit to starting vaping.
2. MYTH: VAPING DOESN'T HELP PEOPLE QUIT SMOKING
A lot of people assume that switching from smoking cigarettes to vapes doesn’t help you quit smoking altogether; it’s just switching one bad habit for another.
And while it’s possible to get addicted to smoking vapes, the NHS identifies nicotine vaping as one of the most effective methods available to help adults quit smoking cigarettes.
An updated Cochrane review published in August 2026 also found that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes help more people stop smoking for at least six months than traditional nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches and gum.
Vaping can help many people overcome nicotine cravings and satisfy the familiarity of smoking, and it also comes with fewer harmful side effects. People can also reduce their nicotine intake over time with the help of vapes.
3. MYTH: NICOTINE IS WHAT CAUSES CANCER
Nicotine tends to get much of the blame when people talk about the dangers of cigarettes. But is nicotine actually responsible for smoking-related cancers?
While nicotine is what causes people to become addicted to smoking, it isn't the main cause of the serious diseases associated with smoking; the NHS explains that other toxic chemicals released when tobacco burns are what’s responsible for almost all smoking-related harm.
Nicotine itself doesn’t cause lung disease, cancer, strokes, or heart disease.
However, that isn’t to say that nicotine is entirely harmless. It can affect heart rate and blood pressure, and people can become highly dependent on it, leading to cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
4. MYTH: VAPING CAUSES POPCORN LUNG
The biggest misconception that’s spreading online at the minute is that vaping causes popcorn lung.
So where did it come from? Popcorn lung is the nickname for bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare, serious lung condition linked to workers who developed lung disease after exposure to diacetyl, a chemical previously used in certain food flavourings.
Concerns about popcorn lung arose because trace amounts of diacetyl had also been detected in some early or unregulated e-liquid flavourings.
However, diacetyl has been banned as an ingredient in vape-related products in the UK since 2016 under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016.
The NHS also states that vaping doesn’t cause popcorn lung, although vape aerosol can contain irritating substances, and the long-term effects of this are still being investigated.
5. MYTH: ONCE YOU START VAPING, YOU'LL BE ADDICTED FOREVER
Touching on our point earlier, a lot of people think that by switching from smoking to vaping, you’re just going from one addiction to the other.
But that’s not necessarily true. Continuing to use nicotine through a vape isn't the same as continuing to smoke cigarettes, since exposure to harmful substances is different, even though nicotine dependence may remain.
It’s also possible to gradually decrease your nicotine intake with vapes. You can buy a lot of e-liquids in different nicotine strengths, such as our range, which includes 3mg to 20mg options, as well as nicotine-free e-juice.
There's no guarantee that everyone will find this easy, and it may be hard to quit vaping, but it’s not necessarily a permanent habit.
6. MYTH: VAPES ONLY PRODUCE HARMLESS WATER VAPOUR
Despite commonly being called vapour, what comes out of a vape isn't simply water.
Most e-liquids contain propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavourings and, in many cases, nicotine. When heated, these ingredients form an aerosol containing tiny droplets and other substances that can be inhaled.
When excessively heated, harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde can also form. However, the levels of harmful substances found in vapes are considerably lower than those found in cigarette smoke.
7. MYTH: SECOND-HAND VAPE VAPOUR IS JUST AS HARMFUL AS CIGARETTE SMOKE
We’ve all heard the dangers of second-hand smoking, but does this also apply to vapes?
Second-hand cigarette smoke contains toxic chemicals produced by burning tobacco, which can be harmful to people who are around you and constantly breathing it in, especially children or vulnerable people.
However, vaping doesn't involve combustion, so the aerosol released is different from cigarette smoke. The NHS also states that there’s no current evidence that second-hand vaping causes harm to people nearby, and any risks are likely to be very low.
That doesn’t mean that you should vape around babies or children, though, as you still need to be cautious. The same applies for people with asthma or other respiratory conditions.
8. MYTH: VAPE PRODUCTS AREN’T REGULATED IN THE UK
A common misconception is that vaping products can be made and sold with little oversight.
In reality, the UK has strict rules governing nicotine-containing e-liquids and vaping devices. Under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations, products sold to consumers must meet requirements including:
A maximum nicotine strength of 20mg/ml
A maximum tank or cartridge capacity of 2ml
A maximum bottle size of 10ml for nicotine-containing refill liquids
Restrictions on certain ingredients
Rules on packaging, labelling and product safety
Nicotine-containing vaping products must also be notified to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before being placed on the market, so plenty of measures are in place to make sure vape products are safe.
9. MYTH: VAPING AUTOMATICALLY LEADS YOUNG PEOPLE TO SMOKE
There have been understandable concerns about vaping among teenagers and even pre-teens, especially due to the colourful packaging and enticing flavourings.
But trying a vape doesn’t mean people are more likely to turn to smoking cigarettes. Research has found links between vaping and subsequent smoking among some young people, but that doesn't prove vaping directly causes them to start smoking.
That doesn't mean youth vaping isn't a concern, as the 2026 ASH survey found that 6% of 11–17-year-olds in Great Britain currently vape. Young people who don't smoke shouldn't be exposed to the risks of developing nicotine dependence through vaping.
Selling vapes to under-18s is already illegal, but from 29 October 2026, UK age-of-sale restrictions extend to all vaping products, including nicotine-free vapes.
10. MYTH: DISPOSABLE VAPES DELIVER AS MUCH NICOTINE AS 50 CIGARETTES
You might have seen headlines claiming that a single disposable vape contains as much nicotine as 50 cigarettes, which sounds alarming but isn’t quite true.
According to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a standard UK disposable vape previously sold at the legal nicotine limit contained 2 ml of e-liquid at a strength of 20mg/ml, which is 40mg of nicotine in total.
To help you compare, a typical cigarette contains around 10–15mg of nicotine, meaning a packet of 20 contains approximately 200–300mg. ASH estimates that users absorb around 20mg of nicotine from a standard disposable vape, compared with 20–30mg from smoking a packet of 20 cigarettes.
So the claim that one disposable vape is equal to smoking 50 cigarettes is highly misleading. It’s also worth noting that disposable vapes have not been legally sold in the UK since June 2025, though reusable vapes are still available to buy.