The UK boasts more than 5.6 million vape users, and NHS England claims it is safer than smoking cigarettes. However, experts said the devices can pose hidden bacterial health risks. It is claimed moisture from inhaling vapour can create an ideal environment for harmful bacteria on mouthpieces and, if not cleaned properly, it can spark nasty infections.
And experts Royal Vapery have revealed uncleaned e-cigarette tanks and coils can harbour mould which, when vaporised, can be inhaled into the lungs – causing respiratory problems. A 2025 University of Florida study found vape mouthpieces heavily colonised by fungi – while a 2019 Harvard study focused on 37 e-cigarette cartridges and 38 e-liquid products from the 10-selling US brands found 23% had traces of endotoxin, a microbial agent found on Gram-negative bacteria, and 81% traces of glucan, found in the cell walls of most fungi.
Now Royal Vapery experts are urging Brits who vape to keep their e-cigarettes clean and compiled a list that all users should follow.
How often:
Daily: Wipe mouthpiece and outside.
Weekly: Rinse tank parts; wipe contacts.
Every 1–2 weeks: Full clean + new coil (sooner if burnt/weak taste).
Quick Clean (weekly): Take tank off, remove coil. Soak tank glass/metal in warm water + tiny drop dish soap (10 min), rinse.
Dry completely:
Wipe device/tank contacts with a dry swab (or a dab of isopropyl).
Fit new coil, fill, wait 5–10 min.
Natural Option (no harsh chemicals):
Same steps, but use just warm water (or 50/50 water + white vinegar for 5–10 min), then rinse until no smell.
Never do: Get the battery (mod) wet, or try to wash/reuse a burnt coil.
A scientist recently claimed vaping not only ‘opens the door’ to catching Covid – the pair when combined create the “perfect storm” to cripple our lungs.
Last year, YouGov data showed that a staggering 5.6 million adults in Britain vape, about 11% of the adult population – while NHS England says a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds have tried vaping.
Last week the Express revealed how one NHS Trust has reintroduced facemask-wearing in its hospitals due to concerning rise in Covid-19 cases on its wards.
Now Dublin City University’s School of Biotechnology Professor Keith Rochfort has revealed how vaping ‘opens the door’ to catching Covid – with the pair creating the “perfect storm” to attack the lungs and cripple recovery.
Writing in The Conversation, Professor Rochfort said vaping increases the number of ACE2 receptors in the airways and lung tissue, meaning more entry points for the virus.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a protein and an enzyme on the surface of our lungs that play a crucial role in regulating blood pressure and inflammation.
Prof Keith Rochfort adds: “Both vaping and Covid drive inflammation. Vaping irritates and inflames the blood-vessel lining while Covid floods the lungs with pro-inflammatory molecules. Together they create a ‘perfect storm’.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
