E-cigarettes | Cancer Council NSW

E-cigarettes

What are e-cigarettes?

E-cigarettes or “vapes” are battery-powered or rechargeable devices that are designed to deliver nicotine and/or other chemicals via an aerosol vapour directly to the lungs. Many vapes contain nicotine, the highly addictive chemical found in cigarettes, and products vary in terms of ingredients and designs. 

Vapes can look like everyday items such as pens, highlighters, and USB memory sticks but the design of these products is changing all the time. When using a vape, the user inhales and exhales the vapour from the heated e-liquid. All e-cigarettes have three basic components: a battery, an atomiser and a fluid cartridge. The fluid used in vapes usually contains propylene glycol, glycerol, nicotine and added flavourings.

Why should we be concerned? 

Vaping is increasing in Australia, particularly among young people. Among people aged 15 to 24 in Australia in 2022-2023, 13.3% were current vapers , a six-fold increase from 2.3% in 2019. In NSW, vaping is the highest among young people aged 16-24 years, with use at least once  at 19% and current (daily or occasional) use at 8.5%. 

Cancer Council NSW’s Generation Vape study found one third of NSW teenagers surveyed had vaped. Of them, 90% described accessing vapes illegally as “easy”, through multiple channels, including through friends, retail stores, online stores, and via social media. The primary reason for using vapes for teenagers is the ‘flavours and taste’.

E-cigarettes are addicting a new generation of young people to nicotine and increase the risk of smoking uptake – the biggest preventable cause of cancer. In addition to nicotine, young people using vapes can be inhaling over 100 toxins and chemicals that are also found in weed killer, nail polish, bug spray and cleaning products.   

There is clear evidence that vaping causes harm and is associated with the uptake of smoking in adolescents. The most comprehensive analysis of the health impacts of e-cigarettes published to date shows e-cigarette users are three times as likely as non-users to take up smoking, supportive of a “gateway effect”. It also found that e-cigarettes cause direct health harms, including poisoning, seizures, burns and lung disease.

Are e-cigarettes legal in NSW? 

From 1 July 2024, both nicotine and non-nicotine vapes will no longer be permitted for sale outside of pharmacies in Australia. From 1 October 2024, people who wish to use vapes for therapeutic purposes will no longer require a prescription. They will only be able to purchase vapes from pharmacies, where products will be kept behind the counter and only available for purchase to those with ID. From this date, vapes will have quality and product standards, including plain packaging, maximum nicotine concentration levels and will only be available in mint/menthol or tobacco flavours.

For retailers other than pharmacies it is illegal to sell all e-cigarettes and e-liquids, including online sales.  

Visit the Australian Government Therapeutic Goods Administration vaping reforms webpage to read more.

Visit NSW Health to read more about the regulations that apply to e-cigarettes in NSW

Are e-cigarettes safe?

No, e-cigarettes are not safe and can cause harm.

While e-cigarettes are still relatively new and the long-term impacts still being researched, evidence of the short-term health effects are emerging. Identified risks of vaping include;

Addiction

Intentional and unintentional poisoning

Acute nicotine toxicity (seizures, burns & injuries)

Lung injury or EVALI (E-cigarette or Vaping Associated Lung Injury)

Indoor air pollution

Environmental waste and fires

Dual use with cigarette smoking

Increased smoking uptake in non-smokers

E-cigarettes may also expose users and bystanders to chemicals and toxins such as propylene glycol, glycerol or ethylene glycol that cause adverse health effects, and may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular, cancer and respiratory diseases. E-liquids or vapour may also contain potentially harmful chemicals which are not present in smoke from tobacco cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are often labelled incorrectly and may contain nicotine, even when they claim not to. Even small amounts of nicotine can cause poisoning if swallowed, particularly among children and infants. If you think someone has been poisoned by liquid nicotine, urgently call the NSW Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or call 000 if it is an emergency.

Do e-cigarettes help people who smoke to quit? 

The evidence for e-cigarettes as cessation aids to help people quit smoking is inconclusive. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is Australia’s government authority responsible for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring therapeutic goods (medicines, medical devices and biologicals). The TGA has not approved any e-cigarette product as a cessation aid to help with quitting smoking. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has also advised that e-cigarettes should not be advertised as a safe alternative to smoking.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved many other products such as patches, gum, lozenges, mouth spray, inhalators and stop smoking medications (Bupropion and Varenicline) as quitting aids that are safe to use and are shown to increase the chances of quitting smoking.

Alternatively, people who smoke can get support to quit from GPs or pharmacists, the free telephone based counselling service NSW Quitline at 13 78 48, and the iCanQuit website.

Is e-cigarette use banned in public places? 

The rule is simple: Vaping is banned anywhere that cigarette smoking is banned. According to the NSW Smoke-free Environment Act 2000, smoke-free areas where people cannot smoke or use e-cigarettes are:

  • All indoor public places
  • Outdoor public places (public swimming pools, spectator areas at sports grounds, public transport stops and platforms, commercial outdoor dining areas, within 4 metres of a pedestrian access point to a public building and more)
  • In a car with a child under 16 years of age in the vehicle.

Using e-cigarettes on public transport vehicles (e.g., trains, buses, light rail, ferries) is also banned under the Passenger Transport (General) Regulation 2017.

For more information on smoke-free legislation, enforcement, and reporting, please see the NSW Health Smoke-free laws webpage.

Where can I find further information and resources on e-cigarettes? 

Quit support: 

  • Book an appointment with your local General Practitioner  

 

Generation Vape Research Project: 

 

How to report a retail outlet selling illegal e-cigarettes in your community?  

From July 1st 2024, all e-cigarettes can only be sold in pharmacy settings in Australia and will be illegal to sell in all other retailers.  If you see retailers other than pharmacies selling vaping products, you can  report it to NSW Health online or call the Tobacco Information Line on 1800 357 412.