An e-cigarette left this man in the hospital on a ventilator

Most think that e-cigarettes are the safe alternative to the real thing, but this is not always the case. Richard Courtney, a father from the U.K., tried to quit smoking cigarettes and gave vaping a try.

%shareLinks-quote="I started vaping to try to give up after 16 years of smoking. I can't believe it put me in hospital." type="quote" author="Richard Courtney" authordesc="Daily Sun" isquoteoftheday="false"%

As reported by The Sun, Courtney was walking home from a friend's house one night, inhaling the vape, when he tasted fluid and started coughing. He then woke up the next morning with a tight chest and was unable to breathe properly.

The father of three ended up in hospital with a hole burnt through his lung. It turns out the £100 ($154.52) device, which is meant to turn the fluid into a vapor, shot hot nicotine down Courtney's throat.

Fortunately, Courtney recovered and has since returned to daily life. But now we're left with the important question, how safe is vaping anyways?

See photos of exactly how e-cigarettes work:

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