E-cigarettes Contain Cancer-causing Chemicals

Testing of electronic cigarettes, known as e-cigarettes, has shown that they contain cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, including a compound used in antifreeze, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.

Photo: E-cigarettes Contain Cancer-causing Chemicals

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals. "The device turns nicotine, which is highly addictive, into a vapor that is inhaled," according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , U.S. News & World Report reports.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that an analysis of leading brands of electronic cigarettes, which deliver nicotine without smoke, detected carcinogens and a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans.

Officials at the FDA and other public health experts cautioned consumers against using the products, saying their health effects are unknown , Washington Post reports.

However, e-cigarettes contain no health warnings, as conventional cigarettes and other FDA-approved nicotine replacement products do, and little is known about the devices. They've never submitted an application to the FDA for evaluation or approval, the agency said, although they do meet the definition of a drug-device product under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The agency recently tested e-cigarette products from Smoking Everywhere, marketed by a Florida-based company, and from NJoy Cigarettes, based in Scottsdale, Ariz, MedPage Today