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---
description: Study finds five to 15 times more formaldehyde in vapour than tobacco smoke
title: E-Cigarettes May Be More Toxic Than Tobacco, Researchers Say
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt409ce1182ce758a2/69868c3f13c79fbab8191c7f/e-cigarette-vapor.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=3840&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
---

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt409ce1182ce758a2/69868c3f13c79fbab8191c7f/e-cigarette-vapor.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)

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# E-Cigarettes May Be More Toxic Than Tobacco, Researchers Say

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## Video: See Who Really Runs The US Cigarette Game

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_Published 2014-09-05. See Who Really Runs The US Cigarette Market_


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Jan 22, 2015 10:57 AM CUT

![A patron demonstrates an e-cigarette at Vape store in Chicago, April 23, 2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt409ce1182ce758a2/69868c3f13c79fbab8191c7f/e-cigarette-vapor.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Daryl Cura demonstrates an e-cigarette at Vape store in Chicago, Wednesday, April 23, 2014\. The federal government wants to ban sales of electronic cigarettes to minors and require approval for new products and health warning labels under regulations being proposed by the Food and Drug Administration. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Daryl Cura demonstrates an e-cigarette at Vape store in Chicago, Wednesday, April 23, 2014\. The federal government wants to ban sales of electronic cigarettes to minors and require approval for new products and health warning labels under regulations being proposed by the Food and Drug Administration. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)Nam Y. Huh—AP

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Jan 22, 2015 10:57 AM CUT

Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen found in cigarette smoke, also dwells in the vaporized liquid of popular electronic or e-cigarettes, researchers said Wednesday.

E-cigarette sales are booming in the United States and many hoped so- called “vaping” would replace tobacco smoking and be a panacea for the nearly 160,000 lung cancer deaths associated with conventional cigarettes.

But according to an analysis published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the exposure to formaldehyde from e-cigarettes, based on similar chronic use as tobacco, could be five to 15 times higher than from smoking cigarettes…

[Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News](http://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/you-vape-high-levels-formaldehyde-hidden-e-cigs-n290826?cid=par-time-article%5F20150122 "undefined")

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