Smoke signals: why health experts are worried about electronic cigarettes--and their growing use among teens.

• Author: Stoffers, Carl
• Position: NATIONAL

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Brandon Smith was never interested in tobacco cigarettes. But the 20-year-old from Norristown, Pennsylvania, has been using e-cigarettes since he was 17.

"Regular cigarettes smell," says Smith, "but mostly, they taste bad. I got into vaping mainly because of the flavor and the lack of odor."

Smith's story is not uncommon. Since they appeared in the U.S. in early 2007, e-cigarettes have grown in popularity, especially among young people, who are often attracted to flavors like Yummi Gummi Bear, Cotton Candy, and Banana Split. But a lack of research on the long-term health effects of e-cigs means there are serious questions about their safety. And health experts worry that e-cigs can be a gateway, leading young people down the path to smoking tobacco cigarettes.

"These products are obviously geared toward targeting the underage market," says Cliff Douglas of the American Cancer Society. "We're unsure of the long-term health risks, so the users of these products are, in fact, guinea pigs at this point."

While tobacco use among teens and young adults has steadily declined in the last 10 years, e-cigarette use has significantly increased, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (see graph). The sharp increase prompted the federal government to take action last spring, when the Food and Drug Administration released guidelines that govern the sale of e-cigarettes and related products. But some critics say the new regulations may do more harm than good and could push young people toward using tobacco.

Invented in China

E-cigarettes--handheld, battery-powered devices that vaporize liquid--were invented in 2003 in China as a way to deliver nicotine without the cancer-causing tar and chemicals in tobacco cigarettes. A typical device consists of a battery, a heating coil, and a tank that can be filled with different types of liquid. When the coil gets hot, the liquid--which is often flavored and usually contains nicotine--vaporizes into an aerosol and is inhaled, leading many to refer to e-cig use as "vaping.

One of the big questions about e-cigs is what happens when the liquid is heated and the chemical compounds begin to change. Critics say that heating the liquid creates potentially harmful byproducts that are inhaled by the user.

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Recent research by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California found that heating e-cig liquid to a high temperature produces a vapor...