A comprehensive scientific study conducted in Australia has revealed worrying revelations about e-cigarettes, or vaping, warning that their use may be linked to lung and oral cancer.
Experts have urged that urgent precautionary measures be taken instead of waiting for definitive and long-term evidence.
The study was conducted under the supervision of scientists from the University of New South Wales, which reviewed various scientific reports, human case studies, laboratory experiments and animal studies published from 2017 to 2025. The aim of this study was to find out whether nicotine-containing e-cigarettes can cause cancer or not.
According to the results, vaping produces early biological effects in the body that are strongly linked to cancer, including DNA damage and increased inflammation. The study was published in the leading scientific journal ‘Carcinogenesis’, which clarified that vaping is linked to dangerous changes that occur before cancer.
Experts say that inhaling e-cigarette vapor causes significant changes in the cells of the mouth and lungs. Although e-cigarettes are relatively new and long-term human data is still limited, there have been some cases in which people who vaped only developed oral cancer, even though they did not smoke traditional cigarettes.
Similarly, animal studies have also shown that mice exposed to e-cigarette vapor developed more lung tumors, although experts say these results cannot be directly applied to humans.
The idea that vaping is a completely safe alternative is not true, says the study’s lead author, Freddy Sitas. According to him, it took decades to recognize the harms of cigarettes in the past, so ignoring the early warning signs of vaping could be dangerous.
Experts have urged governments and health agencies to take strong measures to protect young people, especially from the growing trend of vaping. However, some experts also say that it would be premature to classify vaping as harmful as traditional cigarettes based on current research, as it does not involve flammable chemicals.
Overall, this research suggests that the perception that vaping is harmless may be a misconception, and its potential risks need to be taken seriously.