--- description: New research suggests that some e-cigarettes get hot enough to produce cancer-causing compounds title: Study Shows E-Cigs Still Produce Carcinogens image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # E-Cigs Still Produce Carcinogens, Study Shows by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 7, 2014 4:46 PM CUT by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 7, 2014 4:46 PM CUT Vaping may not be the benign drug-delivery system some have thought. E-cigarettes are touted by some to help people curb smokers’ conventional cigarette habit, but new research suggests e-cigs can still produce carcinogens. E-cigarettes are considered healthier than conventional cigarettes, since smokers are inhaling vaporized nicotine instead of carcinogen-filled smoke. But soon to be published research shows that some popular e-cigarettes can get so hot that they produce some of the same carcinogens as traditional cigarettes. The study looked at higher-voltage e-cigarettes—referred to as “tank-style”—which are heated with larger batteries compared to smaller disposable brands. The new study, which will be published in the journal _Nicotine and Tobacco Research,_ found that tank e-cigarettes can produce the carcinogen formaldehyde when the liquid nicotine is heated at high temperatures, which users can inhale. “This finding suggests that in certain conditions, \[e-cigarettes\] might expose their users to the same or even higher levels of carcinogenic formaldehyde as tobacco smoke,” the Roswell study says, [according to the New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/business/some-e-cigarettes-deliver-a-puff-of-carcinogens.html "undefined"). In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [announced](http://time.com/75508/sketchy-things-we-dont-know-about-e-cigarettes/ "undefined") that it extended its regulatory jurisdiction over more tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes. The agency said it plans to crack down on e-cigarettes by proposing a ban of their sale to people under 18 and by requiring health warnings on packaging. The trouble with e-cigarettes is that their risks and benefits are still unknown. It remains uncertain whether they help people quit, or if they’re servings as a gateway to regular cigarettes for young people. According to [data](http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/05/e-cigarettes-finding-new-users-in-teens/ "undefined") from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, 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\. There are also questions over whether liquid nicotine is dangerous when put in the wrong hands, given that some tobacco control agencies have seen an [uptick in poisonings](http://time.com/47754/in-the-hands-of-babes-e-cigarettes-can-be-deadly/ "undefined"). There’s an overall lack of [research](http://time.com/47754/in-the-hands-of-babes-e-cigarettes-can-be-deadly/ "undefined") on e-cigs, but researchers are beginning to fill that hole, and lately, the findings haven’t looked good for e-cigarettes. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/90756/e-cigs-still-produce-carcinogens-study-shows/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/90756/e-cigs-still-produce-carcinogens-study-shows/"},"headline":"E-Cigs Still Produce Carcinogens, Study Shows","datePublished":"2014-05-07T16:46:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:41:58.140Z","description":"New research suggests that some e-cigarettes get hot enough to produce cancer-causing compounds","url":"https://time.com/90756/e-cigs-still-produce-carcinogens-study-shows/","keywords":["Electronic Cigarettes","tobacco","E-Cigarettes","FDA","e-cigs"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/90756/e-cigs-still-produce-carcinogens-study-shows/","name":"E-Cigs Still Produce Carcinogens, Study Shows"}}]}] ```