Electronic cigarettes growing in popularity with teens

Use of e-cigarettes among middle- and high school students doubled between 2011 and 2012. Health authorities worry that young people who use them, like 19-year-old Brian Jung, will wind up hooked on regular cigarettes.

One out of 10 American high school students used electronic cigarettes in 2012, along with nearly 3% of middle school students, according to a new federal report. That's about double the rate of e-cigarette use in 2011 and translates into 1.78 million children and teens who have tried the battery-powered devices.


The sharp increase has public health experts worried. Electronic cigarettes contain the addictive chemical nicotine and traces of cancer-causing compounds called nitrosamines. The safety profile of the devices has not been fully studied, according to warnings from the Food and Drug Administration.

In addition, e-cigarettes are sold with cartridges that give them enticing flavors such as mint or chocolate, and health advocates fear they have the potential to turn teens on to regular cigarettes.

"The increased use of e-cigarettes by teens is deeply troubling," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. "Many teens who start with e-cigarettes may be condemned to struggling with a lifelong addiction to nicotine and conventional cigarettes."