Side effects of vaping (2024)

The most common side effects of vaping include:

These side effects are associated with inhaling the vapour and are also associated with smoking.

None of the included studies (short- to mid-term, up to two years) detected serious adverse events considered possibly related to vaping use. The most commonly-reported adverse effects were throat/mouth irritation, headache, cough, and nausea, which tended to dissipate with continued use.

Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation, Cochrane review, April 2021

Nicotine is addictive and is present in some e-liquids. Nicotine itself is not very harmful to adults, but the other things inhaled along with the nicotine may be.

Aside from the immediate side effects of vaping, there may be risks associated with vaping long-term however these are not yet known.

For Māori, and some other cultures, the breath or hā is sacred. Similar to smoking, vaping may interfere with your hā and the hā of those around you.

Only smokers should consider vaping to help them quit. However, because the long-term cultural impacts of vaping are unknown, people should eventually aim to quit vaping too.