E-cigarettes are devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol that the user inhales. The liquid usually has nicotine and
E-Cigarette Basics – U.S Surgeon Generalflavoring init, and other additives. The nicotine in e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes is addictive. E-cigarettes are considered tobacco products because most of them contain nicotine, which comes from tobacco.
Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes can contain harmful and potentially harmful ingredients, including:
• ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
•flavorants such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease
• volatile organic compounds
• heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lea•d
The aerosol from e-cigarettes is not harmless. It can contain harmful and potentially harmful chemicals, including nicotine; ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs; flavoring such diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead. Scientists are still working to understand more fully the health effects and harmful doses of e-cigarette contents when they are heated and turned into an aerosol, both for active users who inhale from a device and for those who are exposed to the aerosol secondhand.
E-Cigarette Basics – U.S Surgeon General
