Let’s get real, vaping is becoming an increasingly popular trend.

It just seems like everyone is using electronic cigarettes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nine million adults now vape regularly in the United States, and the global market for e-cigarettes is growing into a multi-billion dollar industry. Vaping is especially popular among smokers, many of whom believe that vaping presents a safer alternative to traditional cigarette smoking.

Some of my friends’ vape and many of them have made the switch from smoking regular cigarettes to using e-cigarettes. Honestly, they do appear to be doing a lot better health-wise since they made the switch to e-cigarettes, which might be a sign that e-cigs are a lot better than traditional cigarettes. However, although it is true that studies have suggested that using e-cigarettes is safer than using regular cigarettes, that hardly means that vaping is not harmful to your health.

Take it from Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, former U.S. Surgeon General, who says “…the health effects and potentially harmful doses of heated and aerosolized constituents of e-cigarette liquids—including solvents, flavorants, and toxicants—are not completely understood. However, although e-cigarettes generally emit fewer toxicants than combustible tobacco products, we know that aerosol from e-cigarettes are not safe.”

E-cigarettes can also contain nicotine, a substance that has been scientifically proven to have negative effects on human health. According to the American Lung Association, the brain doesn’t fully develop until people are in their mid-20s, and nicotine’s effects on developing brains can lead to impairments in memory and attention spans. Other studies have shown that nicotine has the potential to be a carcinogen, and cause damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys and other organ systems.

And just like traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes can worsen any pre-existing lung conditions. An article published in the “Journal of Preventive Medicine” found that risks of developing asthmatic symptoms increased significantly among e-cigarette smokers, regardless of if they were already smoking traditional cigarettes.

Although e-cigarettes have only been on the market for a short time, especially when compared to how long traditional cigarettes have been, there’s already a growing body of evidence that suggests that e-cigarettes are not as safe as originally thought. Even though there are fewer toxic substances in vapes as there are in cigarettes, any amount of carcinogens can prove dangerous to a person’s health.

So next time you consider lighting up your vape, think about what you might be putting into your body.