This fact sheet contains information about vapes, including health harms, their legal status and their role in smoking cessation.
Vapes are battery operated devices that heat a liquid to produce an aerosol that users inhale (often called vaping).
Vapes come in many shapes and sizes and can be made to look like everyday items including highlighters, pens or USB memory sticks. Aerosol from vapes do not usually have a strong odour but may have a sweet smell depending on the flavour.
Evidence demonstrates that vapes are harmful including for non-smokers, and especially for young people (1). When someone uses an vapes, the substance they inhale can contain over 200 chemicals, including formaldehyde, arsenic, mercury, heavy metals, solvents and volatile organic compounds. These chemicals have been shown to be harmful to health and can cause cancer, heart disease and lung damage.
Health harms associated with vape use include nicotine addiction, nicotine poisoning, throat irritation, breathlessness, cough, dizziness, headaches, nausea and lung damage. Rechargeable vapes can also explode causing serious burns and trauma. In rare cases, vaping may cause a life-threatening lung condition known as E-cigarette or Vaping Associated Lung Injury (EVALI).
Laboratory testing of seized illegal nicotine vaping products has shown that even vapes labelled 'nicotine-free' can have high nicotine levels.
Nicotine addiction (also known as nicotine dependence) can develop quickly. The more a person vapes (or smokes), the more their brain and body gets used to nicotine and the harder it is to stop.
For young people, nicotine can cause changes to brain development, impaired attention, learning and memory, and may worsen stress, depression and anxiety.
The NSW Health Vaping Toolkit provides resources and information for young people, parents and carers, and school staff on vaping harms, nicotine addiction and support to quit vaping.
A young child can die from very small amounts of nicotine. Vape packaging is not child-proof, and is often colourful with images of cartoons, food, or drinks. Children can easily activate vapes, particularly if they have watched a family member use them.
If you think a child may have been exposed to the contents of an vape, or has inhaled, swallowed or spilled vape liquid on their skin, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.
If a child has collapsed or are not breathing, immediately call 000 for an ambulance.
For more information on keeping children safe around vapes, please refer to the E-cigarette Child Safety Pamphlet.
For more information on smoke-free environment laws please refer to Smoke-free laws in NSW. Smoke-free signage and resources to reinforce that 'No Smoking means No Vaping' can be ordered from NSW Health at Smoke-free environment resources.
NSW Health Inspectors conduct regular compliance monitoring and enforcement activity. Inspectors enforce the ban on vaping where smoking is not permitted. To report a breach of the smoking/vaping ban, please complete the online reporting form or contact the Tobacco Information Line on 1800 357 412.
