UCSF

Key PointsThe population risk versus benefit for use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) is strongly influenced by the relative safety of ECs compared with conventional cigarettesThe exposure of EC users to potentially toxic chemical emissions is difficult to quantify, given the numerous types of EC devices, different e-liquids, and disparities in individual use patternsEC emissions of concern for cardiovascular health include nicotine, oxidizing chemicals, aldehydes (especially acrolein), and particulatesNicotine might contribute to acute cardiovascular events, particularly in people with underlying cardiovascular disease, primarily by sympathetic neural stimulation and systemic release of catecholaminesThe cardiovascular risk of EC use is likely to be much less than that of cigarette smoking