--- title: Californians Comes Out Against E-Cigarettes description: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has come out against electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), releasing a new report on Wednesday outlining their risks. canonical: https://time.com/3686557/california-ecigarettes-health-risk/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-28T21:52:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:00.105Z article:section: Health og:title: Californians Comes Out Against E-Cigarettes og:description: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has come out against electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), releasing a new report on Wednesday outlining their risks. og:url: https://time.com/3686557/california-ecigarettes-health-risk/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt828f1d655b71f82b/6987788ecd1bba3a1e6f47f4/e-cig-electronic-cigarette-smoke-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos E-Cig Electronic Cigarette Smoke og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Californians Comes Out Against E-Cigarettes twitter:description: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has come out against electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), releasing a new report on Wednesday outlining their risks. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt828f1d655b71f82b/6987788ecd1bba3a1e6f47f4/e-cig-electronic-cigarette-smoke-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # California Says E-Cigarettes a Health Risk > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=313f31bc-04b9-46b1-980d-eb191c8fb6b0&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch: The Rise of E-Cigarettes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch: The Rise of E-Cigarettes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bo5A95r5.m3u8) (2:02)  _Published 2013-12-27. A look at the rise of the e-cigarette market and why it's so divisive for many._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jan 28, 2015 9:52 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jan 28, 2015 9:52 PM UTC The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has come out against electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), releasing a new report on Wednesday outlining their risks. “E-cigarettes contain nicotine and other harmful chemicals, and the nicotine in them is as addictive as the nicotine in cigarettes,” CDPH director and state health officer Dr. Ron Chapman said in a [statement](http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR15-12.aspx) about his report. “There is a lot of misinformation about e-cigarettes. That is why, as the state’s health officer, I am advising Californians to avoid the use of e-cigarettes and keep them away from children of all ages.” The news comes as the California state legislature considers a [ban on the devices](http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/01/27/e-cigs-would-be-banned-in-public-places-under-california-bill/) in public places, as well as new measures against selling them to minors. According to CDPH, e-cig use among Californians aged 18 to 29 has gone up from 2.3% in 2012 to 7.6% in 2013 and young adults in California are three times more like to use e-cigs than people over age 30\. California poison centers are also seeing an increase in calls related to exposures to the liquids inside e-cigarettes. Calls increased from 19 in 2012 to 243 in 2014. **MORE:** [What to Know About the Science of E-Cigarettes](http://time.com/3678402/electronic-cigarettes-ecigs-health-science-research/) Nationwide, similar increases are being observed, with data from the 2013 National Youth Tobacco Survey [showing](http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/05/e-cigarettes-finding-new-users-in-teens/) that the percentage of middle school and high school students who have tried e-cigarettes doubled from 3.3% in 2011 to 6.8% in 2012. The new report touches on the harm to brain development from exposure to nicotine during adolescence; dangerous chemicals found in some e-cigarette aerosol; and the fact that e-cigs are not FDA-approved devices for smoking cessation. The report can be added to a growing amount of data on the risks and potential benefits of e-cigarettes. Earlier this month, a [study](http://time.com/3678402/electronic-cigarettes-ecigs-health-science-research/) published in the _New England Journal of Medicine_ showed that e-cigarettes may be producing harmful chemicals known to cause cancer in humans. You can read the full report, [here](http://cdph.ca.gov/programs/tobacco/Documents/Media/State%20Health-e-cig%20report.pdf). ## Transcript >> I always work when I work. They go together. >> In the 1950's cigarette ads were all about being manly and about being in control. Eventually, the ads were banned because smoking is a health risk. Now, with the E- cigarettes the marketing is back wherever you go. It seems vaping is involved-- with some 7 million Europeans making a switch. It's called Vaping because the liquid nicotine, which is founded here vaporizes when you press this button. Now, even though there is no tar and no smoke, there are still nicotine, which is the addictive part. Yet, E- cigarette advocates say this is healthier, the one of these. >> Really not a problem. The research demonstrates that the side stream vapor is not an issue. There are no sort of carcinogens being carried around in that, certainly nothing on a [ unk ] with what we see with tobacco smoking and second- hand smoke. >> There's a new spin in an old habit is a marketing gold mine. The E- cigarette market is valued at $ 2 billion. With the United States accounted for a quarter over sales, then there is a potential for growth with the industry expected to outperform traditional tobacco within 10 years. While this is igniting worries that will pick up new addicts along the way, already we're seeing celebrities leading the craze. >> You're awfully good with that. >> The E- cigarettes are being presented as this new trending product. The later thing that people are trying in social environments they're referring to celebrities using them, so we're very concern that possibly by seeing all this exposure to E- cigarette marketing, the lines are being blurred. And that message that smoking kills will get lost. >> As the health debate burns in the background businesses are waiting for a verdict. 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