E-cigarettes produce levels of formaldehyde: study

Christian Valete knows smoking is bad for his health. So instead, he vapes – inhaling vapour from an electronic device that heats up flavoured oil.

"You can actually get the same nicotine, but without all the harsh tar chemicals you can get," said Valete, who works at Vaping Apes.

Valete said the ingredients are clearly labelled and ultimately safer for consumers than smoking cigarettes.

But a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine found e-cigarettes produce high levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.

And that those levels could be higher than what’s found in cigarette smoke.

But despite the findings, some said they’d still rather vape.

"Whether it's bad or good, I think it's better than actually smoking smoke," said Jack Reves.

Murray Gibson, from the Manitoba Tobacco Reduction Alliance, understands why many people think the way Reves does.

"I don't think there's anybody out there saying there is absolutely no harm in e-cigarettes,” said Gibson.

He said more studies are starting to show vaping is not much better than smoking.

Gibson said people should remember e-cigarettes are so new they're not regulated by Canada's health agency.

"If they are going to use this product, be aware of that fact (e-cigarettes) are not controlled and… there is no overall endorsement that's out there. Other than the companies that are producing them," said Gibson.

MANTRA says whether it’s e-cigarettes or cigarettes, it's time to reduce the consumption of tobacco because there are no safe levels of smoking.

While e-cigarettes are not regulated by the government yet, companies and agencies are starting to ban them in public spaces.