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Doctors worldwide are warning that vaping<\/a> could be creating a new generation of nicotine addicts – with children and teenagers most at risk of long-term, “irreversible harm”.<\/p>\n Although marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, increasing evidence shows <\/a>that e-cigarettes and vapes are far from harmless. Studies have linked them to cardiovascular problems, lung damage, and an increased risk of cancer<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cE-cigarettes have only been on the market for around 15 years, but already there are more than 15,000 research articles – and at least a thousand on health effects. We now know enough to conclude they are not a harmless product,” Professor Maja-Lisa L\u00f8chen, senior cardiologist at the University Hospital of North Norway, told Euronews Health after speaking at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Madrid this week.<\/p>\n She added that the rapid rise in vaping among young people should be setting off alarm bells globally. <\/p>\n Some 22 per cent of 15 and 16-year-olds<\/a> in Europe said they vaped on a regular basis, according to a survey published last yea<\/a>r that looked at 37 countries. That\u2019s up from 14 per cent five years earlier.<\/p>\n A major paper in the New England Journal of Medicine last year suggested vaping raises the risk of stroke by almost a third (32 per cent). <\/p>\n A gateway to smoking<\/p>\n While smoking rates had been declining for decades, vaping has reversed that trend. In Norway, L\u00f8chen said, use among young people has risen from virtually zero to around 11 per cent in just four years – despite a ban on domestic sales. In parallel, cigarette smoking<\/a> is ticking upwards again.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that starting to vape is like a bridge or a gateway to smoking real cigarettes,\u201d she warned. <\/p>\n \u201cThe tobacco industry knows this – they market aggressively to children with sweet flavours and exciting designs. It\u2019s no coincidence. This epidemic is being led and organised by the nicotine industry\u201d.<\/p>\n Health risks still emerging<\/p>\n The complete long-term effects of vaping won\u2019t be fully clear for decades, but researchers already have serious concerns. When e-liquids are heated, they can release harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, both known carcinogens. These can inflame blood vessels and contribute to cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n L\u00f8chen emphasised that vaping stresses the cardiovascular system in ways strikingly similar to smoking.<\/p>\n \u201cIt increases blood pressure, raises heart rate, and stiffens the arteries – all of which are risk factors for heart disease later in life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n