Everything we know so far about vaping

This is a term used to refer to the liquids used in e-cigarettes and other heated tobacco products. They can contain up to 200 toxic chemicals including formaldehyde, nicotine and heavy metals. These chemicals are known to cause cancer and damage our brains – they do not belong in our lungs. 

Learn more about the chemicals in e-cigarettes in the See through the haze campaign from Quit. 

E-cigarettes, vape pens and other heated tobacco products contain toxic chemicals that don’t belong in our lungs. Vaping is also highly addictive, and often leaves users feeling dependent on e-cigarettes. In Australia it’s illegal to sell nicotine e-cigarettes to someone without a medical prescription – but most vaping products available do, in fact, contain nicotine. E-cigarettes pose a host of health dangers, from asthma attacks, to bronchitis, to inflammation of the lungs and in some cases, even death. It’s illegal to sell any vaping products to people under the age of 18, regardless of whether they contain nicotine.  

Learn more about the chemicals in e-cigarettes in the See through the haze campaign from Quit. 

Laboratory testing has shown that most e-cigarettes available in Australia do in fact contain nicotine, even those that say they don’t. Apart from when they are prescribed by a doctor, e-cigarettes are unregulated, which means there are no minimum product safety standards and there are no consequences for a manufacturer who doesn’t label their product accurately. E-cigarettes have been found to include up to 200 toxic chemicals, such as those found in paint stripper and weed killer. 

In early May 2023, the Australian Government announced groundbreaking reforms to protect future generations from the harms created by Big Tobacco and the vaping industry. This includes Introducing minimum quality standards on certain flavours, colours and ingredients and reducing allowable nicotine content in vaping products.

Learn more about the chemicals in e-cigarettes in the See through the haze campaign from Quit. 

No. The e-cigarette industry calls the emissions from their product ‘vapour’ to give the impression it is just steam. But the emissions from e-cigarettes are actually an aerosol that contains hundreds of toxic particles. When people use e-cigarettes, this fine spray of chemicals enters the body via the lungs, where small particles can get lodged. The liquid inside vaping products can contain up to 200 chemicals, including poisons found in weed killer and paint stripper. Heavy metals found on the inside surface of vapes (including lead, nickel and aluminum) can also shed and lodge deep in the lungs. 

Learn more about the chemicals in e-cigarettes in the See through the haze campaign from Quit. 

In Australia, it is illegal to buy and sell an e-cigarette or any e-liquid that contains nicotine, unless you have a doctor’s prescription. However, all e-cigarettes contain toxic and corrosive chemicals that don’t belong in our lungs. But big tobacco companies are skirting these regulations by selling ‘non-nicotine’ vapes which do in fact contain nicotine. In Australia, it is illegal to sell an e-cigarette or a liquid intended to be used in an e-cigarette (even if it does not contain nicotine) to a person under 18 years. 

In early May 2023, the Australian Government announced groundbreaking reforms to protect future generations from the harms created by Big Tobacco and the vaping industry. This includes banning the retail sale of all single use, disposable e-cigarettes.

For support at any stage of your quitting smoking or vaping journey you can contact Quitline (13 7848) for free, confidential advice. You can also text 'call back' to 13 7848 or book a time for Quit to call you, or live chat with get support from a Quitline counsellor via live web chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or SMS. Learn more at quit.org.au. Quitline counsellors can answer any questions you have about e-cigarettes and help you develop a plan to manage cravings and quit. Quitline is open between 8 am and 8 pm Monday to Friday.

The Aboriginal Quitline (13 7848) is also available for people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Aboriginal Quitline counsellors are professionals with comprehensive training to assist people with smoking cessation in a culturally appropriate way. 

If you need information on vaping in languages other than English, you can call Quitline (13 7848) and tell them you need an interpreter. Quitline will call you back with an interpreter in your language as soon as possible 

If you are deaf or have hearing or speech impairment, you can call the National Relay Service to access the Quitline: 

• TTY users phone 13 3677 and ask for 13 7848.  

• Speak & Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 13 7848.  

• Internet relay users connect to the National Relay Service then ask for 13 7848. 

If you’re a parent or carer of a young person, visit the Get the facts on vaping website  from Quit to learn more about e-cigarettes and how to talk about vaping with young people.