Vaping was first introduced as way of helping smokers quit nicotine but electronic cigarette users have surpassed smokers for the first time ever.
While it was hoped that vapes would become a temporary measure for those looking to quit smoking, it's actually introduced millions of young people across the UK in particular to smoking, and they look likely to suffer the adverse effects.
Although sources vary when it comes to the health impact of smoking and vaping, most agree that the latter is slightly better for your body than inhaling the addictive nicotine, but only if it's done in moderation.
The unfortunate consequence of people using electronic cigarettes means that rather than popping out for a smoke every few hours, some folks are going through several vapes in a single day as it's almost in constant use.
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And now, some new analysis from Johns Hopkins Medicine has analysed just how much damage the e-cigarettes can do to our health, as the Office for National Statistics confirmed that more over-16s are now using vapes than smoking for the first time ever.
What is this new study saying?
Their analysis states that vapes are linked to higher risks and rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as high blood pressure, but that effect is substantially stronger for traditional cigarettes.
Michael Blaha, senior author of the study and professor of cardiology and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said: "These results are a critical stepping stone for future prospective research on the health effects of e-cigarettes.
"While in this short-term study there was no association between exclusive e-cigarette use and cardiovascular events, there was an association with incident COPD and possibly hypertension that will need to be closely watched over longer term follow-up.”
What did a world-first study say about vaping?
A previous study conducted by researchers at the Manchester Metropolitan University also laid bare some of the significant risks associated with the excessive use of e-cigarettes. Dr Maxime Boidin reiterated that while vaping isn't as bad for the body as smoking, it's also far easier to vape more continuously than it is to smoke.
“Smokers tend to go outside and smoke, and once a cigarette is finished they have to light up another to keep going,” he said. “But with vapes, you just keep going and it’s much harder to know how many puffs you’ve had.
“When you put this mixture of metals and chemicals into your body you can’t expect nothing to happen,” he added.
What are the long-term effects of vaping?
We've seen a number of stories in recent years of the devastating impact that vapes can have, particularly when they aren't used in moderation.
Popcorn lung has been particularly prevalent in teenagers who have become addicted to the vapes, and the government's ban on disposable vapes doesn't seem to have done much to solve the ongoing epidemic.
Becoming addicted to vapes is likely to lead to significant issues in the heart and brain, while lung issues are also, unsurprisingly, common.
James Moorhouse