If you’ve ever found yourself enveloped in a plume of sweet-smelling vapor reminiscent of cotton candy, you’re not alone. The increasing prevalence of vaping as a substitute for traditional smoking means that more people are encountering the distinct aromas of e-cigarettes. However, if you can detect the scent of a vape, it might be a cause for concern.

Vaping is often seen as a less harmful alternative to smoking, but as its popularity grows, so does the exposure to secondhand vapor. While initial studies suggest that secondhand vaping might not pose as significant a threat as secondhand smoke, health experts caution that it is not without risks.

“Although e-cigarettes don’t emit tobacco smoke, they do produce an aerosol that can contain nicotine, ultrafine particles, and various chemicals capable of irritating or inflaming the lungs,” explains Dr. Humberto Choi, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Research, including a study conducted in 2013, indicates that being in the vicinity of someone using an e-cigarette, particularly in confined spaces, can lead to nicotine exposure through the exhaled aerosol. Despite the absence of traditional cigarette smoke, many people underestimate the potential dangers associated with secondhand vaping.

“Aerosols from vaping contain heavy metals and ultrafine particles,” said Dr. Talat Islam, who published research on the subject as an assistant professor at the University of Southern California. “If somebody else is vaping in the same area, you’re breathing it – those particles are entering your lungs, where they can do damage.”

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.”