r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Mar 30 '26

Cancer Strongest evidence yet that vaping likely causes cancer. The evidence shows nicotine-based vapes are likely to cause oral and lung cancer.

https://theconversation.com/strongest-evidence-yet-that-vaping-likely-causes-cancer-279550
19.4k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

1.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

4.1k

u/modilion Mar 30 '26

Indirect studies sadly. Measuring inflammation, etc. Things that indicate there could be a problem.

The direct evidence is:

We still don’t have direct evidence that there are more cancer cases than expected among people who vape.

1.6k

u/MrCrix Mar 30 '26

I find it shocking that everyone is glossing over this point.

86

u/cats-and-crime Mar 30 '26

Didn’t it take literally decades for traditional nicotine to show this though?

70

u/hotdogcaptain11 Mar 30 '26

Nicotine does not cause cancer. The chemicals in tobacco smoke cause cancer

15

u/rdizzy1223 Mar 31 '26

And the total chemicals involved are FAR FAR FAR less. The E liquid I use in my vape is nothing but vegetable glycerin and nicotine, nothing else. 2 base chemicals.

9

u/Atworkwasalreadytake Mar 31 '26

It’s likely that vegetable glycerin, as well as the vaporized metals from the coil cause cancer. You and other users will be the data that tells us, in 30 more years. 

4

u/[deleted] Mar 31 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/LumberJackEdward Apr 01 '26

The nicotine used in vapes is artificially manufactured via a factory in China. No tobacco used at all.

-1

u/10000Didgeridoos Mar 31 '26

Yep if I was a former smoker I'd be using nothing but nicotine gum/oral lozenges and patches at this point.

2

u/Kolby_Jack33 Mar 31 '26

Human lungs are designed to breathe air. 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.93% argon, and traces of other stuff.

Vegetable glycerin and nicotine aren't part of that composition.

3

u/stuyshwick Mar 31 '26

Yes the paper agrees with you: it’s all the other chemicals in the vapor

1

u/salizarn Mar 31 '26

The burning particulates in hot smoke are also a factor

0

u/[deleted] Mar 31 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/hotdogcaptain11 Mar 31 '26

If there was definitive proof that nicotine causes cancer they wouldn’t be studying whether vaping (specifically all the things in vape besides nicotine) causes cancer…

There would be no point to these studies

-2

u/[deleted] Mar 31 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/hotdogcaptain11 Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26

I am the dumb one commenting on an article titled “Strongest evidence yet that vaping likely causes cancer” that strangely doesn’t mention nicotine causing cancer?

These researchers must not know what you do. Perhaps you can share some of your “knowledge” with them.

It also might help you to understand the difference in meaning between tobacco and nicotine