The three year study compared the effect both smoking and vaping have on key lung bacteria.
A major new report has found vaping is just as dangerous as cigarette smoking.
Over the past three years, researchers from Queen's University Belfast compared the effect both have on key lung bacteria.
They found that both vaping and cigarette smoking could lead to chronic lung diseases, such as C-O-P-D and asthma.
As rates of tobacco smoking have decreased, the number of people vaping has increased.
Vapers are not always ex-smokers and there has been a rise in vaping among young people who have never smoked before.
According to the World Health Organisation, there has been a small but steady decrease in the estimated number of smokers globally, to just over one billion.
Chairman of Action on Smoking and Health Ireland, Dr. Patrick Doorley said: ''A lot of people who vape say they're doing it to get off cigarettes, but in fact a lot of them seems to keep smoking and vaping for a long time.
''Dual addiction is a concern and if you do decide to vape you need to get off tobacco it's really important that you do so with the intention of quitting smoking.''
