E-Cigarettes & Vaping: What Is It? Is It Safe?

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https://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/e-cigarettes-and-lung-health.html

 

E-Cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are tobacco products that have been sold in the U.S. for about a decade. They include e-pens, e-pipes, e-hookah, and e-cigars, known collectively as ENDS—electronic nicotine delivery systems. They’re also sometimes called JUULs, "vapes" and "vape pens." E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco products among kids—and it’s become an epidemic. While much remains to be determined about the lasting health consequences of e-cigarettes, there’s evolving evidence about the health risks of e-cigarettes on the lungs—including irreversible lung damage and lung disease.

 

The American Lung Association is very concerned that we are at risk of losing another generation to tobacco-caused diseases as the result of e-cigarettes. The Lung Association remains extremely troubled about the rapid increase of youth using these products and has repeatedly called upon the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase their oversight and scrutiny of these products to protect kids.

 

What You Need to Know About E-Cigarettes

Below are answers to common questions about e-cigarettes, including health consequences, risks of secondhand emissions, kids and e-cigarettes and FDA oversight.

 

What Are E-Cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, include e-pens, e-pipes, e-hookah, and e-cigars are known collectively as ENDS— electronic nicotine delivery systems. According to the FDA, e-cigarettes are devices that allow users to inhale an aerosol containing nicotine or other substances.

 

Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes are generally battery-operated and use a heating element to heat e-liquid from a refillable cartridge, releasing a chemical-filled aerosol.

 

What's in E-Cigarettes?

The main component of e-cigarettes is the e-liquid contained in cartridges. To create an e-liquid, nicotine is extracted from tobacco and mixed with a base (usually propylene glycol), and may also include flavorings, colorings and other chemicals (such as formaldehyde and acrolein, which can cause irreversible lung damage).

 

Are E-Cigarettes a Gateway to Youth Smoking?

The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine concluded there is "substantial evidence" that if a youth or young adult uses an e-cigarette, they are at increased risk of using traditional cigarettes.

 

What Are the Health Consequences of E-Cigarette Use?

A recent study from the University of North Carolina found that even in small doses, inhaling the two primary ingredients found in e-cigarettes—propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin—is likely to expose users to a high level of toxins and that the more ingredients a user is inhaling, the greater the toxicity.1

 

The mid-to-long-term consequences of e-cigarettes are not yet known, as it's a new product and has been sold for less than a decade in the U.S. While much remains to be determined about these lasting health consequences of these products, we are very troubled by what we see so far. The inhalation of harmful chemicals can cause irreversible lung damage and lung diseases.

 

Can E-Cigarettes Help Smokers Quit?

The Food and Drug Administration has not found any e-cigarette to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit. If smokers are ready to quit smoking for good, they should call 1-800-QUITNOW or talk with their doctor about finding the best way to quit using proven methods and FDA-approved treatments and counseling.

 

Are There Risks of Secondhand E-Cigarette Emissions?

In 2016, the Surgeon General concluded that secondhand emissions contain, "nicotine; ultrafine particles; flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead."2

 

Why Isn't More Being Done to Protect Kids from E-Cigarettes?

In March, the American Lung Association and our public health partners filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration challenging its decision that allows electronic cigarettes and cigars—including candy-flavored products that appeal to kids—to stay on the market for years without being reviewed by the agency.  The lawsuit contends that the FDA's decision leaves on the market tobacco products that appeal to kids, deprives the FDA and the public of critical information about the health impact of products already on the market, and relieves manufacturers of the burden to produce scientific evidence that their products have a public health benefit.