Vaping ‘worse than smoking’ says leading cancer expert On Sunday, April 26, 2026, a world-leading cancer researcher issued a stark warning that vaping could be more damaging to health than smoking traditional cigarettes. Dr William Li, a globally renowned physician and researcher specializing in cancer and the relationship between food and health, shared his concerns during an appearance on the Zoe podcast. According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, approximately 5.3 million adults aged 18 and over (10.6%) in the UK smoked cigarettes in 2024, marking the lowest proportion of current smokers since records began in 2011. However, around 5.4 million adults aged 16 and over (10%) used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally in the same year. Many people who vape do so believing it is a safer alternative to smoking. However, Dr Li challenges this assumption, stating: “Vaping is definitely a cancer risk and it’s been well established in the lab. It’s being seen in the clinic and arguably the chemicals in these vaping solutions are even more irritating, even more toxic, than traditional tobacco. They’re different, but we think that they actually may be even more DNA-mutating.” He added: “And so, for those people who are like ‘Well, vaping’s a safer alternative, at least I’m not smoking’, you know you might be doing something even worse for yourself.” Dr Li emphasized that any form of inhaling toxins—whether from vaping, cigarettes, pipes, or cigars—poses serious health risks: “Whether you’re talking about vaping or you’re talking about cigarettes, pipes, cigars, you’re putting in toxins into your lungs.” Other medical experts have echoed these concerns. Dr Jeremy London, a board-certified surgeon in general, vascular, and thoracic surgery, warned against vaping, noting that while long-term data is limited compared to cigarettes, he has personally observed troubling outcomes in young individuals who vape. When asked to rate the harmfulness of various habits on a scale of 1 to 10, he assigned vaping a score of 10. The findings highlight a growing public health concern as vaping continues to rise in popularity, particularly among younger adults, despite ongoing debates about its relative safety compared to traditional tobacco products. Health authorities continue to monitor emerging evidence on the long-term effects of e-cigarette use.
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