Electronic cigarettes: a new official report highlights significant health risks

A new scientific report by ANSES (France’s National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), published in recent days, reviews the health risks associated with vaping. While electronic cigarettes continue to be presented as a “less harmful” alternative to tobacco, the agency reminds us that the absence of combustion does not mean the absence of risk.

Based on an in-depth review of the scientific literature, ANSES concludes that repeated inhalation of electronic cigarette aerosol may be associated with cardiovascular and respiratory effects, particularly when nicotine is present, but also independently of nicotine. Toxic substances generated by the heating of e-liquids — such as irritating aldehydes — are regularly identified. The report also points to possible medium- and long-term risks, including mechanisms that could contribute to carcinogenesis, as well as potential effects on fetal development when exposure occurs during pregnancy.

The French health agency is very clear on one point: vaping should under no circumstances be encouraged among non-smokers and young people. It calls for heightened vigilance against the normalization of these products, notably through attractive flavours and aggressive marketing.
For smokers, vaping may be considered only as a temporary, transitional tool within a broader smoking cessation process.

While some questions remain unresolved — particularly regarding long-term effects — ANSES implicitly recalls a fundamental principle of public health: the absence of evidence of harm is not evidence of absence of harm (absence of evidence is not evidence of absence). In this context, the precautionary principle should prevail, especially to protect young people, non-smokers and vulnerable populations.

This need for caution is all the more justified given that the quality of electronic cigarettes available on the market is highly variable. In Switzerland, a recent analysis conducted by the Basel Cantonal Laboratory revealed the presence of undeclared and prohibited substances in certain vaping products, leading to an official sales ban on 21 of the 32 products analysed. This case illustrates the shortcomings of a still insufficiently regulated market and the concrete risks faced by consumers.

In this context, it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify the placing on the market of “wild”, poorly controlled and weakly regulated electronic cigarettes. As long as the safety of these products cannot be guaranteed and major uncertainties persist regarding medium- and long-term health risks, the protection of public health must take precedence over commercial interests.

Links (only in french) :

Vapoter : quels risques pour la santé ? | Anses - Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail (résumé)

Avis et rapport de l'Anses relatifs à l'évaluation des risques sanitaires liés aux produits du vapotage (étude détaillée)