Just How Harmful Is Vaping? More Evidence Is Emerging. The New York Times Vaping delivers heated chemicals directly into the lungs. Unlike air, vape aerosols contain fine particles, nicotine, heavy metals, and flavoring compounds that were never designed to be inhaled. Once inside the chest, Understanding the Dangers of Vaping: EVALI and Lung Injury you can feel fine while your lungs are still taking the hit. That is the trap with vaping. The device looks cleaner than a cigarette, smells softer, and fits into normal life.