Vaping: Does It Really Cause Cancer?

April 23, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Vaping: Does It Really Cause Cancer?

In early 2025, headlines erupted with a startling claim: new research had "confirmed a deadly link between e-cigarettes and cancer," and that vaping was "likely to cause lung and oral cancer." For Science Vs, which had spent a decade telling listeners that vaping is safer than smoking—even playing a song written by researchers about it—this felt like a potential reversal. But when the show's team dug into the actual paper and the furious scientific debate that followed, the picture turned out to be far messier than the headlines suggested.

The Case for Cancer

The paper at the center of the controversy was a review led by Professor Bernard Stewart at the University of New South Wales. Stewart has spent his career evaluating whether substances cause cancer—he's looked at PFAS, microplastics, and pesticides—and he told the show that vaping worried him more than any of those. His team pulled together studies published between 2017 and mid-2024 and built a case.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:04) **The Headlines and a Science Fight** - The host introduces a new paper claiming vaping causes cancer, sparking headlines that vaping is as dangerous as smoking, which contradicts *Science Vs*'s past reporting.
2 (02:06) **The Big Questions** - The episode outlines the three core questions it will investigate.
3 (04:42) **The Case for Vaping Causing Cancer** - Lead author Professor Bernard Stewart presents the evidence he believes proves vaping is carcinogenic.
4 (08:50) **The Case Against the Cancer Claim** - Skeptical scientist Professor Leon Schau argues the evidence is not strong enough for a definitive claim.
5 (13:03) **The Scientific Standoff and a Survey** - The host reveals the heated disagreement between scientists and presents results from a survey of 35 researchers.
6 (17:50) **The Crucial Context: Vaping as a Cessation Tool** - The host pivots to the key argument for vaping: its potential benefit for smokers trying to quit.
7 (22:02) **The "As Bad as Smoking" Claim** - The host investigates the claim that vaping is just as dangerous as smoking, a statement derived from the last line of the controversial paper.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Headlines have been screaming about a new study suggesting that vaping could cause cancer — and that vaping could be just as dangerous as cigarettes. And if this were true, it would be a HUGE deal. We’ve been hearing for years that vaping is a safer option — and can help you quit ciggies. But the new paper has run up against angry criticisms from other scientists, with some calling the paper "misleading" and "problematic." So what’s going on?? Do scientists still think vaping is safer than cigarettes? How well do vapes actually help people quit smoking? And could Big Tobacco be behind the scenes, clouding the truth about all of this?? We get help sorting it out from Professor Bernard Stewart, Professor Lion Shahab and Professor Becky Freeman.

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsVapingCancer

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Vaping world set alight by new study

(02:50) Why Some Scientists Have Linked Vaping to Cancer

(07:45) Why Some Scientists Pushed Back Against Vaping-Cancer Claims

(17:51) Is Vaping as Dangerous as Smoking?

(25:15) Do Vapes Help People Quit Smoking?

(30:52) Big Tobacco Is Funding Vaping Research

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman and Rose Rimler, with help from Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Meryl Horn and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Additional music from Parry Music Library / BMGPM. Thanks so much to the Australian science media centre and all the scientists who responded to our emails on this — we asked a lot of you!. A big thanks to Joseph Lavelle Wilson and the Zukerman family.

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