The true cost of disposable vapes On The Ground E cigarette vapor linked to cancer in mice National Institutes of Health (NIH) New research has found that nicotine based vapes are likely linked to oral and lung cancer risk, pointing to evidence such as DNA damage, oxidative stress, inflammation, and exposure to harmful chemicals and Using nicotine based vapes is likely to cause lung and oral cancer, even if e cigarette users do not smoke tobacco, a watershed academic review has found.