Overview
- The UNSW-led analysis, published Monday in the journal Carcinogenesis, concludes that e‑cigarettes are likely to cause cancers of the lung and mouth.
- Researchers tie the risk to biomarker signals in people, mice that developed lung tumors after aerosol exposure, lab studies of DNA and tissue damage, and case reports including a 19-year-old heavy vaper with aggressive oral cancer.
- The authors do not estimate how big the risk is, but they warn that many users both vape and smoke, and recent U.S. data cited in the review link that dual use to about four times the lung cancer risk of smoking alone.
- In Australia, vapes are meant to be sold only in pharmacies to help smokers quit and imports were restricted in January 2024, yet experts say illicit disposable devices remain easy to buy and urge stronger enforcement to curb youth uptake.
- Because many cancers take decades to appear, the team calls for large, long-term studies now and says governments may tighten controls and fund research while advising smokers to seek supervised quit support and non-smokers to avoid vaping.