E-cigarettes and adolescents

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) have rapidly gained popularity since their introduction in 2004 and are now used regularly by an estimated 2.6 million people in the UK,¹ with annual sales worth about £459 million.²

Since their introduction, e-cigs have been unregulated and are freely available. They have been heavily advertised,³ particularly since the large tobacco companies began buying up small, independent manufacturers or producing their own brand, such as the e-Voke^®.^3,4

E-cigs typically work by using a re-chargeable lithium ion battery to power an atomiser. This produces vapour by heating a solution of nicotine, usually in propylene glycol or glycerine, held in a (often refillable) cartridge in the device.⁵