Is E-Cig Vapour Harmful to My Non-Vaping Friends?

Many people already know the dangers of second-hand smoke for innocent non-smokers who happen to be standing near smokers. The National Health Service has indicated second-hand smoke exposes non-smokers to thousands of toxins and irritants that increase their risk of cancer.

Many people don’t know whether e-cigarette vapour poses the same threat to innocent bystanders as cigarette smoke. After all, e-cigarettes still have nicotine in them like regular cigarettes. However, e-cigarettes have a non-combustible form of nicotine salts that makes them significantly less harmful to innocent bystanders than cigarettes.

Remember that vapour and vaping are not the same as smoke and smoking. The risk factors associated with vaping are far less for the person doing the vaping and the people around them. But that does not mean there are no risks.

What You Need to Know

The British Heart Foundation and the University of Dundee collaborated on a research study that found that smoking does more harm to blood vessels than vaping. In addition, the National Health Service has not found evidence of second-hand vapour hurting innocent non-vaping people.

Unfortunately, these studies have only looked into the short-term effects of e-cigarette vaping. Very little is still known about the long-term effects of e-cigarette vaping. Health professionals know that a small amount of nicotine is released into the air each time someone vapes. So if a pregnant woman or someone with a health condition happens to inhale the nicotine in the vapour, it could potentially cause harm to them. But again, more research is needed to verify this.