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 cartridge (usually refillable), releasing a chemical-filled aerosol.

The main component of e-cigarettes is the e-liquid contained in cartridges or tanks. 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).

Learn more about what's in e-cigarettes.

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.

The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that more than 1.6 million middle and high school students currently use e-cigarettes, with more than 1 in 4 using them daily. Additional data, rates and trends can be found in the American Lung Association’s Tobacco Trends Brief.

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.

Learn more about the impact of e-cigarettes on lungs.

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.

The American Lung Association believes everyone who uses tobacco products can quit using methods that are proven safe and effective by the FDA, including the seven FDA-approved medications and individual, phone (available by calling 1-800-QUITNOW and 1-800-LUNGUSA) and group counseling (such as the Lung Association's Freedom from Smoking® program). Learn more about quitting smoking at Lung.org/stop-smoking.

The American Lung Association urges everyone to quit – don’t switch!

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