National pasttime use of electronic vaporizers has been associated with smoking and vaping among adults. In addition, the vast majority of youth who use e-cigarettes did not initiate with e-cigarettes, but rather with cigarettes. Because e-cigarettes have been so popular among youth, it is important to understand the health risks among vapers. The survey, the first to provide nationally representative estimates for vaping behaviors in the United States, found that more than 3.2 million adults have used e-cigarettes at some point in their lives, including 1.1 million current users (defined as vaping at least once in the past month). Approximately one in 10 current e-cigarette users reported ever using a non-tobacco combustible cigarette and ever using a traditional tobacco product, such as cigarettes, cigars, or hookah, both on their own or with e-cigarettes. The researchers also found that almost one-third of current users reported using more than 20 vaping products, with the mean number of e-cigarette products used each day by current e-cigarette users being 12.6. The survey also showed that e-cigarette use was much higher among young adults (ages 18 to 24) than older adults (70 and older), with the highest prevalence among the 18- to 20-year-old age group (17.4 percent). The 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that almost 12 percent of high school students use e-cigarettes. This indicates that approximately 3 million high school students (about 1 percent of the national high school population) have used e-cigarettes. The rate of current e-cigarette use by high school students who use tobacco was 11.2 percent. “Adults and youth should understand that e-cigarettes are not risk free,” said Kathleen A. Maiman, Sc.D., study author and director of the CDC’s Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science. “E-cigarettes can have many of the same harms as regular cigarettes, including nicotine dependence and lung disease. E-cigarettes should only be used by adults who smoke, not by youth who have never smoked, and people who quit smoking should avoid using e-cigarettes.” Dr. Maiman noted that because e-cigarettes are so accessible, with many products available without a prescription, more research is needed to better understand who uses these products, how often they use them, and the impact that vaping has on youth and adults. The survey is based on a sample of 20,834 adults interviewed in English or Spanish between February 25 and June 30, 2018. The sample includes data from both landline and cellular telephones as well as a small sample of interviews conducted using a sample of respondents who participated in prior surveys. ### Please contact publicaffairs@cdc.gov for more information on the study. The Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provided support for this study. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov. NIH…$16.3 billion in total costs. With $19.9 billion in direct medical costs, the American tobacco product market remains the largest commercial product category in the United States, and its economic impact affects the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. About the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): CDC is a federal agency dedicated to eliminating health threats and improving health outcomes. For more information about the CDC and public health, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/ Disclaimer: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. National Institutes of Health or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About the E-cigarette Surveillance Consortium The E-cigarette Surveillance Consortium consists of state health departments, federal agencies (including the FDA), and organizations with the scientific and technical expertise to conduct surveillance, conduct research, and develop tobacco-related policies. The Consortium’s mission is to generate data, policies, tools, and trainings to: 1) enhance existing surveillance efforts of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), vapor products, and nicotine addiction among youth and young adults; 2) reduce the appeal and harm of tobacco products; and 3) promote evidence-based tobacco-related policy. About the Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science The Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science (TCORS) is a multidisciplinary team of scientific, technical, and regulatory experts working collaboratively with state and federal partners in several federal agencies to advance science and evidence-based policy on tobacco products. The TCORS work was launched in 2012 to reduce tobacco-related death, disease, and disability by strengthening the science base supporting regulatory policies and improving the public health impact of tobacco-related regulatory policies. For more information about the TCORS, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/ The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco is the primary scientific society focused on understanding the biology, behavior, and prevention of tobacco products. For more information about the society, please visit http://www.srnt.org Media Kathleen Maiman, Sc.D., director of the Center for Regulatory Science at the CDC: news@cd