Results of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analysis of 2 widely marketed electronic cigarette products suggest these devices may contain some of the same toxic or carcinogenic compounds as traditional cigarettes.
Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered devices that vaporize nicotine, flavoring, and/or other chemicals into an inhalable vapor. Chemical analyses of several samples of products by FDA scientists detected tobacco-associated chemicals that may be harmful to humans, including known human carcinogens. One cartridge also contained 1% ethylene glycol, a toxic chemical. Additionally, the researchers found varying levels of nicotine, even in products sold under the same label.