Global report reveals alarming number of people partaking in 'new wave' of addictive practice: 'Aggressively targeting young people'

Even as tobacco use around the world has continued to fall, the rates of individuals — especially young people — using nicotine-containing e-cigarettes and vapes have climbed significantly, according to a new report from the World Health Organization. 

"Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up, tobacco use thanks to tobacco control efforts by countries around the world," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, in a press release. "In response to this strong progress, the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people. Governments must act fast and stronger in implementing proven tobacco control policies." 

What's happening? 

According to the WHO, more than 100 million people around the world use e-cigarettes or other vape products, including 15 million children ages 13 to 15. Data show that young people are nine times more likely to vape than adults. 

Experts have expressed concern that the growth in vaping among young people has put at risk decades of progress in reducing tobacco and nicotine use.

"E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction," said Etienne Krug, director of the WHO's Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention Department, according to the WHO press release. "They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids with nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress." 

Why is the rise in vape use important?

Children who become hooked on nicotine-containing vapes at a young age are likely to face a lifetime of addiction. Although often touted as "safer" than smoking cigarettes, e-cigarettes come with their own significant health risks. 

"No tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe," said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its website. 

"Aerosol from e-cigarettes can also contain harmful and potentially harmful substances," the CDC said. "These include cancer-causing chemicals and tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into lungs."

In addition to the significant health risks that come with using vape products, the manufacture and disposal of vaping devices also have a significant impact on the environment. 

A 2023 review of the scientific literature found that vaping devices often contain lithium-ion batteries, heavy metals such as lead and mercury, and toxic chemicals used as fire retardants, all of which can leach dangerous substances into the soil and water supply if improperly disposed of. 

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Additionally, the lithium-ion batteries contained in vape devices pose a serious risk of fire in the waste disposal system. A study by the nonprofit Material Focus found that, in a single year, improperly discarded lithium-ion batteries in the U.K. ignited 1,200 fires in trash bins, dumpsters, garbage trucks, and waste disposal sites. These fires pose a serious threat to workers while interfering with recycling and other waste disposal practices.  

What's being done about the rise in vaping?

Governments and public-health officials around the world have increasingly been taking action to address the rise in vaping, particularly among young people. 

On one end of the spectrum, countries like Singapore and Malaysia have taken steps to completely ban all vape products outright. Meanwhile, the U.K. has prohibited so-called "disposable" single-use vapes. 

In the U.S., the federal government has cracked down on imports of illegal vape products, while local municipalities have taken their own measures. For example, Washington, D.C., recently reached a $1.2 million settlement with multiple 7-Eleven stores that allegedly violated the District's ban on selling vape products within a quarter mile of middle schools and high schools.

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