What’s The Difference Between Smoking And Vaping?

It is commonly believed that smoking and vaping are the same concepts. Despite sharing some commonalities, these two concepts differ from each other in many aspects. Smoking originated from the root word “smoke” while vaping is derived from the root word “vapor.”  The main difference between smoke and vapor lies in their production mechanisms. Smoke is produced by a process of incomplete combustion while vapor is produced by a process of heating up a liquid until its conversion into vapor. 

In simple words, smoking refers to the process of inhaling a puff from a cigarette through the mouth and exhaling it through the mouth and nose. On the other hand, vaping refers to the process of inhaling the vapor puffs via vaping device i.e. e-cigarette, and exhaling it. Smoke and vapor both affect the lungs of individuals. Let’s dive deeper into the differences of smoking and vaping with respect to the following factors. 

• Effect on health

Smoking is considered to be more toxic than vaping due to the occurrence of tobacco combustion. The process of incomplete combustion results in harmful by-products. Therefore, smoke contains a number of highly hazardous  compounds. According to the CDC, smoking causes reduction in the sperm count, maximizes the risk of congenital disabilities and various cancers i.e. lung cancer. It also results in asthma attacks due to blockages in veins and arteries hence enhancing the risk of strokes.

Unlike smoking, vaping involves the process of heating up of elements present in e-liquid, and resultantly liquid vaporizes. It is not as harmful as smoking but still it also has adverse effects on health such as lung problems, damage to the immune system as well as growth in brain development in fetuses and adolescents. 

• Concentration of Nicotine

Vaping & smoking both involve some concentration of nicotine. The difference is that the strength of nicotine in vaping is low as compared to vaping because smoking gives experience of nicotine via combustion whereas it produces the effect of nicotine through vaporization. Since nicotine is an addictive compound, so it provides a pleasant experience through vaping in most of the cases.

• Delivery Mechanisms

Smoking differs from vaping in terms of the delivery mechanisms. Smoking mostly uses concentrated or dried parts of cannabis plants. The dried form of plants is processed and then smoked by users through cigarette rolls and pipes while vaping generally utilizes vape juices, also reffered to vape oils or e-liquids with the help of vaping device. 

Conclusion

Keep in mind that vaping and smoking both have negative consequences on health but smoking is considered more hazardous with more health implications as compared to vaping. None of both is 100% safe for health and safety.