The debate over vaping is heating up. A few days ago, Medical Observer ran an opinion piece in which the author expressed her unequivocally firm stance against e-cigarettes: As an imaging scientist, I can see that vaping is like cigarettes all over again. Here, we present another opinion in which Associate Professor Coral Gartner takes a somewhat softer stance to the overall risks and dangers.

Health authorities in the US are investigating 530 cases of lung illness, including seven deaths, reportedly connected to vaping. Some of these patients have been diagnosed with lung inflammation caused by inhaling oil.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advised many samples tested have contained tetrahydrocannabidol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, as well as significant amounts of vitamin E.

No cases of vaping-related lung disease have been reported in Australia to date. But we know a small proportion of people in Australia do vape (about 1.2% of the population), and may therefore be worried about developing this serious lung disease.