The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers and health care professionals that electronic cigarettes (“e-cigarettes”) – battery operated devices that contain nicotine cartridges – have been found to contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals, including diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze, during an analysis of two of the product’s leading brands.

Electronic cigarettes, which turn nicotine and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled, are heavily marketed and sold to young people and can be obtained easily online and in shopping malls. These products do not contain health warnings comparable to FDA-approved nicotine replacement products or conventional cigarettes, and do not have an age restriction for purchase.

Parents are encouraged to talk with their children about the dangers of any nicotine product, including electronic cigarettes, and warn them that they are not safe to use.

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