FDA warns against use of electronic cigarettes

The FDA has notified healthcare professionals and patients that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette cartridge samples has found that they contain carcinogens (eg, nitrosamines) and diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical found in antifreeze. Electronic cigarettes (“e-cigarettes”) are battery-operated devices that contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor, and other chemicals. The electronic cigarette turns the contents of the cartridges into vapor that is inhaled by the user. Electronic cigarette cartridges do not contain any health warnings comparable to FDA-approved nicotine replacement products or conventional cigarettes. Because these products have not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval, at this time the agency has no way of knowing the levels of nicotine or the amounts or kinds of other chemicals that the various brands of electronic cigarettes deliver to the user.

For more information visit www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm173327.htm.