How Long It Takes For Lungs To Heal From Vaping And Exactly When It Causes Permanent Damage Lungs with vaping damage, baseline CT Stock Image C050 4472 Science Photo Library Can vaping damage your lungs? What we do (and don't) know Harvard Health Doctors have linked vaping to a rare, incurable lung condition called obliterative bronchiolitis, often referred to as popcorn lung. The disease permanently scars and narrows the lungs' airways, causing lifelong breathing problems.