How long does it take for your lungs to heal from vaping?

Vaping, as explained above, involves the inhalation of a number of chemicals and elements found in the vaping liquid or wax or created when the vaping liquid or wax is heated.

Stephen Broderick, Johns Hopkins lung cancer surgeon, says “By now, it seems pretty clear that using e-cigarettes, or vaping, is bad for your lungs. In the last 24 to 36 months, I’ve seen an explosive uptick of patients who vape… we simply don’t know the short- or long-term effects yet and which e-cigarette components are to blame.’²¹

In January 2018, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine released a consensus study report that reviewed over 800 different studies and concluded that e-cigarettes [vaping] causes health risks⁴.

The American Lung Association has stated that the inhalation of harmful chemicals [from vaping] can cause irreversible lung damage and lung disease¹³.

The impact of E-cigarettes on the lung and health affects are explained below:

Diseases caused by E-cigarettes /Vaping

• E-cigarette Vaping product use Associated Long Injury (EVALI)¹⁹
• Vaping Associated Pulmonary Injury (VAPI)¹⁹
• Death due to inability to breathe (EVALI)¹⁹
• Bronchiolitis obliterans also known as “popcorn lung”⁷
• Long-term scarring of the lungs^{3, 18}
• Respiratory distress and disease⁷
• Asthma^{11, 12}
• Heart Attacks⁸
• Damage to the liver, kidney and nervous system¹⁴
• Eye, nose and throat irritation¹⁴
• Headaches and nausea¹⁴

Bronchiolitis obliterans also known as “popcorn lung”

This is a condition that damages the small airways of the lungs resulting in coughing and shortness of breath. It can also lead to chest pain.

This condition can cause lasting damage to the lungs.

It get’s its common name from the fact that it was it was discovered when popcorn factory workers were getting sick. The reason was a chemical called diacetyl that was added to give a buttery flavour.

Diacetyl is banned in the UK & EU but is still added world wide including in the US to vape juices to give a buttery flavour such as in popcorn, custard and sweet dessert flavours.

E-cigarette Vaping product use Associated Long Injury (EVALI)

E-cigarette Vaping product use Associated Long Injury (EVALI) which is also called Vaping Associated Pulmonary Injury (VAPI) is an acute or subacute respiratory illness with damage to the lungs that can be severe and life-threatening^{16, 17, 20}.

As of 18 February 2020 there were almost 3,000 hospitalised cases or deaths due to EVALI in the US[19], most of whom were under 35 years old. The age range is not surprising because in US the largest group of vapers are young people.

The vast majority of patients (95%) have coughs, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Additional symptoms include fever, chills, and weight loss (85% of patients), abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (77% of patients). These can be the initial symptoms before serious breathing and lung issues are noticed which require oxygen. Symptoms usually progress in severity over one to two weeks

Research showed that all the patients had Vitamin E Acetate in their lungs⁵ and many had THC in their lungs⁵ and these are assumed to be part of the cause. In the US Vitamin E Acetate has been removed from some products and there has been a decline in cases¹⁹.

Chemicals in Vaping liquid and their affect on the lungs

• Vitamin E acetate⁵ – this is a toxin of concern to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), due to its ability to remain in the lungs for long periods of time, and therefore cause complications in the lungs. This may be the cause of E-cigarette Vaping product use Associated Long Injury (EVALI) since all cases of EVALI had this in their lungs¹⁹
• THC⁵ – This may be the cause of EVALI
• Diacetyl⁷ – High levels of exposure to diacetyl can lead to the serious lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans also known as “popcorn lung”
• Acetyl propionyl⁷ – known to cause respiratory distress and disease
• Formaldehyde ²¹ – This is known to cause lung disease and contribute to heart disease
• Propylene glycol^{11, 12} – known to cause irritation to the lungs and eyes and may cause issues for people with asthma and emphysema. In the long term can develop into asthma
• Volatile chemical compounds¹⁴ – can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches and nausea, and can damage the liver, kidney and nervous system
• Heavy metals^{3, 18} – these are known to cause respiratory distress and disease. Metal-induced toxicity in the lung can result in long-term scarring of the lungs
• Ultrafine particles⁸ – these can be inhaled deep into the lungs and may exacerbate conditions such as asthma and emphysema and could lead to a heart attack

If you’ve vaped and/or smoked for a long time you might worry that it’s going to be hard to quit – and also question whether you will get any health benefit and so is it going to be worth quitting? The good news is that the human body is an amazing creation and starts healing in less than 20 minutes after that final cigarette or vape.

After a day the lungs will be cleaning removing the junk left from vaping and cigarettes. Sometimes this manifests itself as a cough – but don’t worry – it’s all part of your body healing itself and getting rid of the junk that’s built up in your lungs.

Between 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting smoking, lung capacity and performance will regenerate and according to the American Heart Association enable intense activities such as running, and the same is true for heavy vapers.

Vaping causes lung damage due to the chemicals in the vape liquid, the chemicals created when the vape liquid is heated and the heavy metals from the vape heater that enter the aerosol/gas as you inhale. The good news is that the human body is an amazing creation and starts healing in less than 20 minutes after that final cigarette or vape. You may be interested in these articles:

Vaping Around Kids – Is it safe?

Teen Vaping & How to Help Teens to Quit

Vaping While Pregnant – What are the risks?

Vaping Statistics and Facts

Nicotine Withdrawal timeline