What you will get from this report
- Answers to some common questions about e-cigarettes to support doctors when discussing their use with patients.
- Key messages for policymakers about safety, effectiveness and regulation.
- Research and data to support decisions about the use of e-cigarettes.
Key findings
- There is growing consensus that using an e-cigarette is substantially safer than smoking tobacco.
- Unlike smoking, e-cigarette use does not involve combustion. While the constituents of e-cigarette vapour can vary, and some of the toxicants present in tobacco smoke have been detected in e-cigarette aerosol, they are typically present at levels which are much lower than in tobacco smoke.
- E-cigarettes currently available are consumer-regulated products which have to meet product safety standards, but the standards are not as rigorous as for licensed medicines.
- Given the limited time for which these products have been widely available, there is limited information about the long-term health impact of their use.
Resources