Vaping may be worse for you than traditional smoking, a new study claims.

Greek researchers found that flavorings in e-cigarettes harm the lungs by causing inflammation.

Experiments, conducted on mice, showed that even in the short term, the inflammation they caused was similar to or worse than conventional cigarettes.

Dr. Constantinos Glynos said: “The observed detrimental effects in the lung upon e-cigarette vapor exposure in animal models highlight the need for further investigation of safety and toxicity of these rapidly expanding devices worldwide.”

The researchers conducted their experiment by exposing different groups of mice to cigarette smoke, various e-cig vapors or clean air four times each day, with every session separated by 30-minute smoke-free intervals.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Physiology, show e-cigs and refills are not well regulated and their long-term effects on health are unknown.

Glynos, from the University of Athens, said: “Electronic cigarettes are advertised as a less harmful nicotine delivery system or as a new smoking cessation tool. Our findings suggest that exposure to e-cig vapor can trigger inflammatory responses and adversely affect respiratory system mechanics.”

Glynos added: “We conclude that both e-cig vaping and conventional cigarette smoking negatively impact lung biology.”

His findings follow a British study earlier this year that also suggested vaping is more harmful than previously thought.

University of Birmingham scientists extracted cells from lung samples provided by healthy non-smokers and exposed them to e-cig fluid, condensed vapor or nothing for 24 hours. Exposure to the vapor increased cell death and the production of inflammatory chemicals.

Public Health England says e-cigs are 95 percent safer than traditional cigarettes. And they suggest smokers should consider switching to vaping in a bid to help them quit. But critics warn vaping may cause lung disease, keep people hooked on nicotine, or act as a route into smoking for kids.