Is Vaping Worse Than Smoking? 7 Myths on Vapes and Kpods Debunked

Vapes are sold in a myriad of fanciful shapes and flavours, going by various names such as e-cigarettes, Kpods, zombie pods, and vape pens. Despite being banned in Singapore, there have been reports of vaping becoming increasingly popular, with vape devices and accessories being sold openly on messaging apps and social media platforms. In 2025, the Singapore government announced that it will impose stiffer penalties on vaping.

Vaping is often marketed as the better and healthier option compared to conventional cigarettes, but they actually harbour many negative properties that are harmful to health.

A 2025 study found that vaping is associated with health risks including asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, lower total sperm counts, and migraine. A 2018 study in the US also found that e-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals that can cause irreversible damage to the lungs.

Some youths see vaping as a harmless activity and pick up the habit without knowing what they are getting themselves into. We look into common misconceptions about e-cigarettes and debunk the myths.

Myth #1: Vapes are harmless and contain only flavoured water

The truth: Vapes - even zero-nicotine vapes - don't just contain flavoured water or flavouring. They are aerosols and may contain dangerous chemicals, including:

• Etomidate: Up to 1 in 3 vapes contain etomidate, a fast-acting anaesthetic meant for medical usage.
• Ketamine: A hallucinogen in vapes commonly known as Kpods or zombie vapes.
• Formaldehyde: Linked to increased risk of cancer and infertility.
• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): The main psychoactive compound in cannabis.
• Acrolein and diacetyl: May cause lung damage.
• Harmful metals: These include lead, nickel and cadmium.

While vaping may reduce tar exposure compared to cigarettes, it introduces different adverse effects like “popcorn lung” (bronchiolitis) from flavouring chemicals and EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury) seen in outbreaks worldwide.

Myth #2: It is easier to quit vaping than smoking

The truth: Nicotine hooks you before you even realise it. Each puff changes your brain's reward system, rewiring it to crave more. What starts as “just trying it out” quickly becomes a habit that’s hard to quit. It can be difficult to quit cold turkey even when vaping is wrecking your health.

Many vapers find it just as hard, or harder, to quit compared to cigarettes because vape pods deliver higher concentrations of nicotine.

Even "nicotine-free” vapes don’t always keep you safe as many still contain hidden nicotine. That means you could already be addicted without knowing it. Most e-liquids that claim to be nicotine-free still have small amounts of nicotine.

Myth #3: E-cigarettes are less addictive compared to tobacco

The truth: The assumption is that e-cigarettes do not contain nicotine, which is why they’re safer than cigarettes. This may not be true. The chemical-laden aerosol sold with e-cigarettes, commonly known as e-juices, often contain nicotine.

Hence, it’s best not to assume that the e-cigarettes you purchase are nicotine-free. It is also harder to determine what chemicals go into these e-cigarettes when you purchase them locally, given that they are sold illegally without regulations. Despite what the seller claims, there is no certainty that the “nicotine-free e-cigarettes” being purchased contain no traces of nicotine.

Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, and can make it hard for one to break the habit of vaping once it is picked up. Some harmful effects of nicotine include:

• Higher risk of a heart attack due to increase in blood pressure and heart rates
• Respiratory issues such as bronchiolitis (popcorn lungs) and EVALI
• Decreasing the body's ability to fight against cancer and reducing the effectiveness of cancer treatment
• Affects brain development in people under the age of 25

Myth #4: Nicotine-free vapes do not pose health risks

The truth: While there are some e-juices that are nicotine-free, these juices still harbour chemicals that are damaging to health. Side effects of these e-juices include mouth and airway irritation; inflammation of the immune system, and potential cell damage, particularly in the lungs.

Vapes may contain dangerous substances including etomidate, ketamine, and formaldehyde.

The seemingly harmless sweet scent that vape pens emit mask the similarly harmful chemicals in the e-juices. Without realising the potential health risks, youths picking up the vaping fad are putting themselves at risk of severe lung injury.

Myth #5: Vaping can help me quit smoking

The truth: You’ve made the bold step to quit smoking and that’s great. Though, if you’re hoping e-cigarettes will help you kick the smoking habit, you should probably know it’s neither the most effective nor the safest smoking cessation method.

While e-cigarette brands often market their products as an effective way to quit smoking, this claim is not recognised by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). With insufficient evidence proving that e-cigarettes are effective in helping smokers quit, e-cigarettes are not approved as a smoking cessation aid.

As a matter of fact, a study found that 80% of smokers who switched to e-cigarettes as a start to smoking cessation, ended up smoking e-cigarettes even after a year later. In other words, the move to switch to e-cigarettes is merely about replacing the addiction with a perceived trendier habit.

The good news is, there are other clinically proven and healthier smoking cessation methods that can help you quit smoking effectively.

Myth #6: Picking up vaping is better than smoking cigarettes

The truth: Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which make them just as addictive as smoking cigarettes. If you think picking up e-cigarettes is a better alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes, think again. One study found that those who use e-cigarettes are 4 times more likely to start smoking cigarettes than those who have never tried them. You could end up addicted to both e-cigarettes and tobacco.

Furthermore, vape pens that are sold off the streets or online are not regulated by the government, which means buyers have no idea what actually goes into these e-cigarettes. In the US, the CDC (Communicable Diseases Centre) has seen an uptick in lung injury and respiratory issues linked to vaping, especially among youths.

Similarly, in Singapore, medical authorities have observed more patients coming in with respiratory issues caused by vaping. Some of the common medical conditions reported include bronchitis, lung inflammation, and pneumonia.

Underestimating the harmful effects of e-cigarettes can be dangerous, leading the user to abuse the substance and cause harm to their body unknowingly. E-cigarettes are also much newer than tobacco cigarettes, and we may not yet know the full extent of the damage that they can cause. Tobacco cigarettes were released and regarded as a relatively harmless and cool accessory in the early 19th century, and we only learnt of their true dangers during the 20th century.

Myth #7: Vaping is better than smoking because it protects my loved ones from secondhand smoke

The truth: Although e-cigarettes do not emit smoke like a lit cigarette, e-cigarette emissions do contain harmful chemicals including nicotine and volatile organic compounds. Despite the seemingly more pleasant smell, the effects of secondhand e-cigarette vapour are quite similar to secondhand cigarette smoke.

Children are especially at risk of respiratory issues from secondhand aerosol as their lungs are still developing. Nicotine can impair adolescent brain development, causing attention deficit, memory problems, psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment.

Despite the potential risks of secondhand aerosol from e-cigarettes, a CDC study conducted in the United States revealed that about 40% of American adults think that exposure to secondhand aerosol from e-cigarettes causes minimal harm to children, while another 5% think that it causes no harm at all. While most people are aware of the risk of secondhand smoke from tobacco cigarettes, the lack of awareness of secondhand aerosol from e-cigarettes can be putting children and other loved ones at risk.

Don’t trade one danger for another

Switching from cigarettes to vapes doesn’t make you safe. It only exposes your lungs to a new set of risks. Over time, repeated irritation and damage can lead to chronic conditions and even increase your risk of lung cancer.

If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms like persistent cough, breathlessness, or chest pain, speak with a respiratory physician early. Timely care can make all the difference.

And if you’re ready to quit for good, the journey is the same whether it’s cigarettes or vapes. Explore our complete guide on how to quit smoking for practical steps and support to protect your health.