New research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that the use of electronic cigarettes is growing in popularity among youth in America, reports USA Today.  In 2011, 4.7 percent of high school students reported having tried electronic cigarettes.  Last year, 10 percent reported trying them, indicating that use has doubled.  A similar trend was reported among middle school students, where 1.4 percent reported experimenting in 2011 and 2.7 percent in 2012.  Moreover, studies confirm similar trends at the state level.

The CDC reports that electronic cigarettes, otherwise known as e-cigarettes, are battery-powered replacements for traditional cigarettes.  They provide doses of nicotine and other additives in an aerosol form, without smoke. In general, e-cigarette cartridges typically contain nicotine, ingredients necessary to produce aerosol, and flavorings such as fruit or chocolate. Currently, unless the electronic cigarette is being marketed for therapeutic purposes, it is unregulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Research in this area is still developing, but there are potentially harmful ingredients in e-cigarette cartridges, such as irritants, genotoxins, and animal carcinogens.

Already, some other countries have taken steps to ban electronic cigarettes.  Given the uncertainty about the public health risk, France made plans to expand its 2007 prohibition on smoking in public places to include using e-cigarettes, reports CBS News.  According to 4 NBC Southern California, the California legislature is considering a proposal similar to that of France.  Electronic cigarettes would be banned wherever smoking is banned if the proposal passes.  Moreover, e-cigarettes are being restricted on a smaller scale in the U.S.  For example, an earlier National Monitor article reports that Starbucks has banned smoking in their outdoor areas, which includes a ban on the use of e-cigarettes as well.

In a press release from February 2013, the CDC discusses the use of e-cigarettes among adults.  Much like the trend in youths, use among adults also doubled.  In 2011, six percent of all adults reported trying electronic cigarettes, which is approximately twice as much as in 2010.  Focusing just on adults that smoke traditional cigarettes, the CDC also saw a similar trend.  In 2010, 10 percent of adults that smoked had tried e-cigarettes.  In 2011, this number more than doubled to 21 percent of adults that used traditional cigarettes.

According to WebMD, electronic cigarettes are purported to be safer because they do not contain the tar of traditional cigarettes.  However, health professionals are still concerned.  E-cigarettes may still contain carcinogens and it is not clear how nicotine without tar impacts health.