Australia

Study: E-Cigarettes Likely Cause Lung and Oral Cancer

Is vaping a dangerous health threat fueling nicotine addiction or a life-saving tool that helps smokers quit?

Published MAR 31

Study: E-Cigarettes Likely Cause Lung and Oral Cancer

Story

Above: A teenage boy smokes a vape at a cafe in Bekasi, West Java, on Feb. 22. Image credit: Aditya Irawan/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Facts

A University of New South Wales-led review published in the journal Carcinogenesis has concluded that nicotine-based e-cigarettes are likely to cause lung and oral cancer. The study analyzed peer-reviewed studies from 2017 to 2025.
University of Southampton
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
The review drew on clinical studies, animal experiments and lab data, finding consistent evidence of DNA damage, oxidative stress, tissue inflammation and lung tumors in mice exposed to vape aerosols.
University of Southampton
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Lead author Adjunct Prof. Bernard Stewart said the exact number of cancer cases attributable to vaping remains unclear, noting the assessment is "qualitative and does not involve a numerical estimate of cancer risk or burden."
Guardian
9News Australia
Researchers found that people who both smoke and vape face a fourfold increased risk of developing lung cancer compared to smokers alone, with co-author Assoc. Prof. Freddy Sitas describing many as stuck in "dual-use-limbo."
Daily Mail
News.com.au
XINHUA
Prof. Nick Zwar, the RACGP's Smoking Cessation Guidelines Expert Advisory Group chief, called the findings "an argument for prospective studies and continuing research." Prof. Stewart said previous studies mostly focused on comparing vaping to smoking.
Radio New Zealand (RNZ)
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Researchers compared the situation to the century-long delay before smoking was officially linked to lung cancer in 1964, with Sitas urging regulators not to "wait another 80 years to decide what to do."
Daily Mail
Guardian
9News Australia

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Vaping is a genuine health threat that exposes users to thousands of unidentified chemicals, nicotine addiction and serious lung disease risks. E-cigarettes haven't earned FDA approval as cessation tools, and most people who try them to quit end up using both products. A new generation is getting hooked on nicotine through vaping, and that addiction pipeline leads straight to traditional tobacco use.

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Nhs.Uk

Narrative B

The science is settled — vaping is far less harmful than smoking, and misleading headlines have convinced smokers to stick with cigarettes instead of switching to a proven quitting tool. Cochrane Reviews show high certainty that vapes outperform patches and gums for quitting. Letting smokers believe vaping is equally dangerous is a public health failure that will cost lives.

Tom Slater on X

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