Flavored e-cigarette products contain hundreds of chemical compounds beyond nicotine, and research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has identified several flavor chemicals including diacetyl and benzaldehyde as capable of causing inflammatory lung injury at concentrations found in typical vaping devices. The damage occurs through repeated exposure over months, not the acute reactions that characterized early EVALI cases.
The FDA has banned most flavored cartridge-based vapes but enforcement against online sales and imported products has been inconsistent. Disposable flavored vaping devices, technically illegal in the US, remain widely available and are particularly popular among teenagers. Survey data shows that while traditional cigarette smoking among teens is at historic lows, e-cigarette use has partially offset the public health gains, with 7.7 percent of high school students reporting current vaping.
