MACON, Ga. — The Georgia Department of Public Health has issued a health alert related to vaping.
This comes after some states have reported cases of severe pulmonary disease possibly connected to vaping.
Killian Peach made a stop at a Macon smoke shop on his way from Atlanta to Orlando. He says he began vaping almost four years ago when trying to wean himself off cigarettes.
"Beforehand, I would wake up with a tight chest after smoking cigarettes. With vaping, I feel like I can breathe," Peach said.
He says he knows it's not going to be 100 percent better than cigarettes.
"It's a lot cleaner. You can actually see what's going into your body compared to cigarettes," Peach said.
However, clinicians and the state Department of Public Health are warning otherwise.
"We have all this data showing how dangerous cigarettes are, and a lot of those same chemicals are in vaping, so we believe they're just as dangerous," said Dr. Katherine Duncan, a pediatrician at Navicent's Children Health Center. She says she's treated several patients who have vaped.
"Anytime you're delivering those types of chemicals to your lungs, those are carcinogen chemicals that could cause cancer in the long run," Duncan said.
She said a single vaping pod can have as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes.
This week, the State Department of Public Health announced it is investigating possible cases reported in Georgia after reports of some vapers being diagnosed with severe pulmonary disease.
The DPH says there is not any one vaping product that has been found that would conclusively link it to the disease. Reported patients list different vape brands, methods, cartridges, and pods.
For now, Duncan's message is, "The best thing to do is not vape at all."