From the archives: This story was last updated in August 2019.
Warning: Graphic Content InsideIf you think that an e-cigarette—a battery-operated device that heats nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals to create a water vapor that you inhale through its mouthpiece—is mostly harmless and a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes, you are wrong. In truth, using an e-cigarette (called vaping) may be more dangerous than we previously thought.