COPD Upgrade: What I Wish They Taught Me in Paramedic School EMS Airway Vaping and COPD Vaping is not harmless. A new study from Johns Hopkins Medicine reveals that e cigarettes significantly increase the risk of COPD and high blood pressure. Our own Dr. Todd Hoopman shares firsthand accounts Learn the truth: vapes are not safe smoking alternatives Smoking cigarettes has long been proven to cause severe lung damage, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and lung cancer. Over time, cigarette smoke destroys lung tissue, fills airways with tar,