A little less jargon.

14 terms

Aerosol

Tiny liquid droplets or particles suspended in air. Vape aerosol is not just water vapour; it can contain nicotine and other substances.

Carbon monoxide

A poisonous gas produced when tobacco burns. It reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen.

Combustion

Burning. Cigarettes burn tobacco, creating smoke containing thousands of chemicals, including many that cause cancer.

Dual use

Smoking cigarettes and vaping during the same period. Switching completely away from cigarettes matters: continuing to smoke still exposes you to serious harm.

EVALI

E-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury. The 2019 US outbreak was strongly linked to vitamin E acetate in some THC vaping products. It is not proof that all vaping products are safe.

Harm reduction

Reducing the damage from a behaviour when stopping it immediately is not possible. Less harmful does not mean harmless.

Nicotine

An addictive substance found in tobacco and many vapes. It is not the main cause of smoking-related cancer, but it is not risk-free, particularly for young people and during pregnancy.

NRT (nicotine replacement therapy)

Licensed medicines such as patches, gum and lozenges that provide nicotine without tobacco smoke. A pharmacist or stop-smoking adviser can help you choose.

Popcorn lung

A nickname for bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare lung disease linked to certain chemical exposures, including occupational exposure to diacetyl. The nickname is not a diagnosis for every vaping-related illness.

Relative risk

A comparison between two risks. An estimate of lower risk compared with smoking does not tell you that a product has no risk.

Systematic review

Research that uses a stated method to find, assess and combine relevant studies. The quality and certainty of the underlying evidence still matter.

Tar

The mixture of particles in tobacco smoke after nicotine and water are excluded. It contains many toxic and cancer-causing substances.

THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main intoxicating substance in cannabis. THC vaping products are different from nicotine e-cigarettes.

Vitamin E acetate

A substance used in some products and strongly linked to the US EVALI outbreak when inhaled in some THC vaping liquids. Safe to eat does not mean safe to inhale.