Unveiling the Truth: Are Vaping Clouds Harmful to Those Around You? Here's What Doctors Say

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(NEXSTAR) – Ever found yourself engulfed in a sweet, cotton candy-scented mist? If you catch a whiff of vape vapor, it’s not the best news.

With vaping steadily replacing traditional cigarettes, encounters with secondhand vape emissions are on the rise. Although preliminary studies indicate it may not pose the same level of risk as secondhand cigarette smoke, experts caution it is not without its own set of dangers.

“While e-cigarettes don’t emit tobacco smoke, they do release an aerosol containing nicotine, ultrafine particles, and various chemicals that can irritate or inflame the lungs,” explained Dr. Humberto Choi, a pulmonologist with Cleveland Clinic.

Research from 2013 highlighted that being near someone who is vaping, particularly in confined spaces, can lead to nicotine exposure from the vapor exhaled by e-cigarette users. However, since it lacks the visible smoke of conventional cigarettes, some individuals underestimate the potential risks related to secondhand exposure.

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If you can smell the fruity or candy-like scent of someone vaping, that means you’re breathing in at least some of those chemicals, said Choi. “It might not be dangerous from a brief moment in passing, but it is not ‘just water vapor.’”

Both doctors say more research is needed to understand the longterm impacts of secondhand exposure to vaping. In the short-term, people can experience coughing, wheezing or an asthma flare-up, especially if they have existing respiratory sensitivities.

In the absence of more research, Choi recommends caution: “it is reasonable to recommend to keep vaping completely away from infants, children, pregnant people, and anyone with chronic breathing problems.”