White Paper on Electronic Nicotine Delivery System

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) or e-cigarettes or vape pens/vaping devices are battery-powered devices used to smoke or ‘vape’, a flavoured solution containing varying concentrations of nicotine, an addictive chemical found in cigarettes and other forms of tobacco products. Amongst these various types of ENDS devices, e-cigarettes are the most common type. They produce an aerosolized mixture of the flavoured liquids and nicotine, which is inhaled by the user. Nicotine is considered as one of the most addictive substances. The rapidity at which it is introduced into the body, age of first exposure and the dosage administered all add to determine the potential risk of a person being addicted to it throughout life. Nicotine addiction is established more strongly when the exposure occurs in adolescence. The various flavours and attractive designs also add to the allure of these products to the young population. ENDS or e-cigarettes are manufactured in such a way to resemble conventional tobacco products such as cigarettes, pipes and cigars and common gadgets such as flash drives, flashlights or pens (Figs. ​(Figs.11 and ​and22)1. Structurally, most e-cigarettes contain four different components: a cartridge or reservoir, which holds a liquid solution containing varying amounts of nicotine with flavourings, and other chemicals (e-liquid or e-juice), namely a power source (usually a battery), a heating element (atomizer) and a mouthpiece that the person uses to inhale. They date back to 17th August 1965 when the first documented patent for this type of device was issued in Pennsylvania. Since then, it took several decades of additional propagation before mass production was initiated in 2003 in China and some other countries. Currently, there are more than 460 different e-cigarette brands with varied configuration of nicotine delivery available in the market, for example, cigar-likes (first generation), tank systems (second generation) and personal vaporizers (third generation) with over 7700 flavours2. This makes collation of data on health effects more difficult for generation of scientific evidence. Open in a separate window Fig. 1 Various types of electronic nicotine delivery systems devices. Source: Ref. 1