Health Outcomes Related to E-cigarettes

E-cigarette use exposes users to many chemicals that can be harmful to respiratory, cardiovascular, and oral health. In addition, there are safety concerns due to unintended injuries and burns from e-cigarette use; seizures, anoxic brain injury, vomiting and lactic acidosis from exposure to e-liquids; and fatalities from drinking or injecting e-liquids. The health risks and injuries associated with e-cigarette use in combination with cigarettes and/or other tobacco products create additional burden on the healthcare system and expenditures.¹

Current evidence is insufficient to determine the long-term health consequences of e-cigarette use.² Concentrations of several biomarkers of tobacco exposure, used to predict longer-term disease risks, suggest several toxicants are higher in persons using e-cigarettes exclusively compared to non-users,³ which may translate to long-term risk of cancer, respiratory, developmental, and reproductive diseases. However, most biomarkers are also significantly lower among persons using e-cigarettes exclusively than among individuals who currently smoke cigarettes or dual use cigarettes and e-cigarettes (Figure 3.7.1, Figure 3.7.2, Figure 3.7.3).⁴

Together, these findings suggest that use of e-cigarettes presents health risks, but the known risks for exclusive e-cigarette use among those who have formerly smoked cigarettes may be lower compared to those continuing to smoke cigarettes. Still, the health impact of inhaling flavorants and other e-liquid compounds at the levels found in e-cigarettes over time is unknown.