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April 13, 2026

The link between vaping and COPD: what patients need to know

There is no cure for COPD, but there are treatments and lifestyle changes that can help. One way to improve symptoms is to avoid smoking and vaping, which can harm your lungs and make COPD worse.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the most common chronic illnesses in America. It is most common in people over 75 and people with a history of smoking. COPD restricts the amount of air that can get into the lungs, making it hard to breathe.

What is COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a condition that causes permanent lung damage. COPD gets worse over time, and it becomes harder to breathe. It’s usually caused by smoking. It can also be caused by exposure to harmful substances like secondhand smoke, chemicals or dust and debris.1

The most common forms of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis.2

Emphysema

Emphysema causes the tiny air sacs in the lungs to break down. This makes it harder for the lungs to move air in and out, so breathing is much more difficult. Emphysema can make it hard to do physical activity.

Chronic bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis causes the airways in the lungs to get irritated and inflamed. The irritation causes the lungs to produce excess mucus. That causes coughing and wheezing and further damages the inside of the lungs. Chronic bronchitis makes breathing even harder. It also increases your risk of getting lung infections.

Common symptoms of COPD include:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Frequent coughing or chronic cough
  • Wheezing
  • Chest tightness
  • Frequent colds or nose and throat infections
  • Fatigue or tiredness

There is no cure for COPD. The condition is progressive, meaning it worsens over time. You may have periods where symptoms are not serious. Treatment and positive lifestyle choices can reduce symptoms. You may feel better more often if you sleep and eat well, and avoid activities like vaping that can irritate your lungs.

COPD can also cause flare-ups where symptoms get much worse for a while. Severe COPD flare-ups may require hospitalization and oxygen therapy.

There are medications and other therapies to manage COPD symptoms. Proper treatment can help you avoid serious flare-ups of COPD symptoms.

How vaping affects the lungs

Vaping is a term for using electronic devices to inhale aerosol tobacco or cannabis. Vape devices heat up small cartridges filled with nicotine or cannabis, as well as flavorings and other chemicals. The liquid from the herd becomes an aerosol that you can inhale the same way you would inhale tobacco or marijuana smoke.3

Vaping isn’t a mist, like you would inhale from a nebulizer. It can contain particulate material, as well as harmful chemicals. Studies show that vaping can cause inflammation and irritation in your airways and lead to lung tissue damage.4

The liquids used in vapes have fewer harmful ingredients than tobacco or marijuana cigarettes. They do contain toxic chemicals, including:

  • Nicotine
  • Ultrafine particles
  • Formaldehyde
  • Heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead.

Many vape liquids contain a flavoring called diacetyl. Diacetyl is a food additive known for its buttery flavor. It’s commonly used in microwave popcorn. Studies have shown that workers in facilities who are exposed to diacetyl develop a condition called “popcorn lung.” It causes severe lung damage and symptoms similar to COPD.5

Many of the chemicals in vape liquids are also found in cigarettes. They can cause the same kinds of irritation and lung damage as traditional cigarettes. Being around secondhand vape aerosols can also cause lung irritation, just like secondhand smoke.6

The link between vaping and COPD

Vaping is a relatively new technology. It’s only become popular in the past 20 years. Since COPD takes many years to develop, researchers are only starting to see how it affects health over time. Scientists don’t yet know all the effects of long-term vaping and what it does to the lungs, but new data is starting to paint a clearer picture of the risks.

One study published in 2025 reviewed the results of dozens of studies on the links between vaping and lung disease. After analyzing all the data, researchers found there is a significant overlap between people who vape and people who have COPD. The data doesn’t prove that vaping causes COPD, but it suggests that there is a connection between COPD and vaping.3

Can vaping make COPD worse?

There is research that shows that vaping may make COPD worse. It has many of the same effects on the lungs as traditional cigarettes. Vaping can cause irritation and inflammation in the lungs, which can make COPD symptoms worse.

Vaping also puts you at risk for other lung problems. Starting in 2020, doctors and researchers reported a surge of people with serious lung problems. People with a history of vaping can develop symptoms like chronic coughing, increased mucus production, asthma symptoms and damage to the lungs.

Scientists called this condition “e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury” or EVALI. It is not the same as COPD, though symptoms are similar. People with COPD may be at risk of developing EVALI from vaping.7

Is vaping safer than smoking for COPD patients?

When vape products were first developed, some experts suggested they could be used as a way to help people quit smoking. The idea was that vaping is less damaging than smoking traditional cigarettes. Switching from cigarettes to vaping could be one way to reduce the use of cigarettes and lead to quitting entirely.

A study in 2020 looked at whether switching to vaping improved COPD symptoms in smokers. The study found participants who switched to vaping had 50% fewer flare-ups of COPD symptoms than participants who smoked traditional cigarettes.8

The study also found that participants who switched to vaping had better lung function and were more physically active. They were less likely to be hospitalized for COPD symptoms than participants who continued smoking.

This study seems to suggest that vaping is better for people with COPD than smoking. However, vaping is still a source of irritation to the lungs. People with COPD should talk to their doctors about the risks of vaping and ask about other options for quitting cigarettes.

What COPD patients should do

Quitting smoking is often the first suggestion that doctors give to people with COPD. Many doctors will also suggest quitting vaping. Both smoking and vaping irritate the lungs, which can lead to flare-ups of COPD symptoms.

In addition, smoking and vaping can damage the lungs the same way COPD does. The damage makes it harder for the lungs to move air in and out. Combining the effects of COPD with vaping or smoking will speed up lung damage and make it much harder to breathe.

Giving up both smoking and vaping is one of the best things that people with COPD can do to protect their health.

Conclusion

If you have COPD, you should talk to your doctor about treatment options. They can suggest options such as medications, oxygen therapy and pulmonary therapy to support lung function. They can also help you develop a plan to quit smoking or vaping. You may benefit from nicotine replacement products or medications to decrease cravings for nicotine.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Is vaping safe for people with COPD?

Vaping is not a good idea for people with COPD. The chemicals in vape liquids can damage your lungs and make symptoms of COPD worse. You should talk to your doctor about quitting both vaping and smoking if you have COPD.

Can vaping cause COPD, or does it only make it worse?

It’s not clear if vaping causes COPD. There is some research suggesting that people who vape have a higher risk of developing COPD. However, scientists don’t know for sure if vaping causes COPD.

Vaping can make COPD worse, so it’s best to quit vaping if you have been diagnosed with COPD.

Does nicotine-free vaping affect COPD?

Nicotine-free vaping can make COPD worse. This is because nicotine-free vape liquids contain preservatives and flavorings. Chemicals like formaldehyde, diacetyl and acrolein can cause lung damage and make COPD symptoms worse.

Can vaping trigger COPD flare-ups?

Yes, vaping can trigger increases in COPD symptoms. Vaping irritates the lungs, causing inflammation. This can increase symptoms such as coughing, mucus production and shortness of breath.

Is secondhand vape aerosol harmful to people with COPD?

Secondhand vape can be as irritating as secondhand smoke for people with COPD. If you have COPD, you should try to avoid being around vape aerosol. Limiting exposure to secondhand smoke and vape can prevent unnecessary flare-ups of COPD symptoms.

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