Home Our Health Vaping Share Share Share Copy Link Copy Link Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Email Vaping quick facts What are they, why are they dangerous and what you can do about it Scroll down On This Page Quit's resources What are e-cigarettes (vapes)? Why are vapes dangerous? 'Vaping talk' tips What is vape juice? Are smoke-free e-cigarettes safe? Are nicotine-free vapes safe? Is the vapour created by e-cigarettes safe? Is vaping illegal in Australia? Get help to quit vaping Share Share Share Copy Link Copy Link Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Email Quit's resources What are e-cigarettes (vapes)? Why are vapes dangerous? 'Vaping talk' tips What is vape juice? Are smoke-free e-cigarettes safe? Are nicotine-free vapes safe? Is the vapour created by e-cigarettes safe? Is vaping illegal in Australia? Get help to quit vaping Share Share Share Copy Link Copy Link Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Email Title Resources from our partners at Quit Quitline (13 7848) and information about quitting: quit.org.auQuit's Get the facts about vaping website: vapingfacts.org.auQuit's See through the haze campaign about the toxic chemicals in vapes: vapingfacts.org.au/seethroughthehaze Title Most Googled questions Body While our partners at Quit have plenty of excellent resources outlined above, below we've included some answers to frequently Googled questions. What are e-cigarettes (vapes)? E-cigarettes, more commonly known as ‘vapes’, are battery operated devices, that use a coil to heat liquid into aerosols. The ‘cloud’ of fumes emitted from vaping is an aerosol, a fine spray containing toxic and corrosive chemicals that can lodge in the lungs. Using an e-cigarette is commonly called ‘vaping’. Why are vapes dangerous? They contain toxic chemicalsE-cigarettes can contain up to 200 dangerous chemicals, such as poisons found in weed killer and paint stripper, that are inhaled deep into the lungs.Learn more on our page Vaping: the impact on our health.They seem to be designed for childrenCurrently, e-cigarettes come in an array of colours and flavours. Many of the flavours such as chocolate milk, candy floss and cola ice seem to be designed to target children. Often disguised to look like everyday items (such as pens, lip gloss, USB sticks or hoodie toggles), making them discreet and easy to fit into a pocket undetected. How to talk to your child about vaping See our page 'Vaping talk' tips for parents. As noted at the top of this page, you can also visit the Get the facts on vaping website from our partners at Quit to learn more. What is vape juice? 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. Are smoke-free e-cigarettes safe? 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. Are nicotine-free vapes safe? 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. Is the vapour created by e-cigarettes safe? 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. Is vaping illegal in Australia? 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. Get help to quit vaping Quitline (13 7878) is a free, confidential advice and support service open 8am to 8pm Monday to FridayQuitline counsellors are available via phone, live web chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or SMS:Call Quitline on 13 7878Text 'call back' to 0482 090 634 or book a time Learn more at quit.org.auThey also provide:Aboriginal Quitline (13 7848)Translators (call Quitline on 13 7848 and tell them you need an interpreter)Access if you are deaf or have hearing or speech impairment via the National Relay Service:TTY users phone 13 3677 and ask for 13 7848 Speak & Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 13 7848Internet relay users connect to the National Relay Service then ask for 13 7848 Related content World Health Summit Vaping Roundtable Media release 3 min read 23 Apr 2024 E-cigarettes (vaping) , Tobacco prevention Media Release We must end vape menance Article 2 min read 22 Mar 2024 E-cigarettes (vaping) VicHealth welcomes proposed landmark e-cigarette legislation Media release 2 min read 21 Mar 2024 E-cigarettes (vaping) New research reveals key insights to help tackle teen vaping Media release 5 min read 6 Mar 2024 E-cigarettes (vaping) Partner release Vaping conversation guide for parents Resources and downloads 14 min read 15 Feb 2024 E-cigarettes (vaping) Commercial & economic systems What young people are doing about vaping Article 8 min read 12 Jan 2024 E-cigarettes (vaping) Commercial & economic systems Australia leads once again: VicHealth welcomes passing of globally groundbreaking tobacco legislation Media release 2 min read 6 Dec 2023 E-cigarettes (vaping) , Tobacco prevention Media Release VicHealth welcomes landmark import ban on vaping Media release 2 min read 27 Nov 2023 E-cigarettes (vaping) Media Release New Quit campaign just launched Media release 3 min read 15 Nov 2023 E-cigarettes (vaping) , Tobacco prevention Partner release Bad Vapefluence: Teaching kids to hide vapes from parents & making vaping glamourous Media release 4 min read 25 Sep 2023 Media Release How vaping advertisers target young people Research and publications 7 min read 15 Sep 2023 E-cigarettes (vaping) , Research Commercial & economic systems VicHealth welcomes groundbreaking laws in the fight against big tobacco Media release 2 min read 13 Sep 2023 Media Release Vaping: everything we know so far Article 1 min read 11 Sep 2023 E-cigarettes (vaping) , Research Commercial & economic systems The impact of vaping on our health Article 3 min read 8 Sep 2023 E-cigarettes (vaping) Commercial & economic systems The impact of vaping on our environment Article 2 min read 8 Sep 2023 E-cigarettes (vaping) The impact of vaping on young people Article 3 min read 8 Sep 2023 E-cigarettes (vaping) Jump to Share Share Share Quit's resources What are e-cigarettes (vapes)? Why are vapes dangerous? 'Vaping talk' tips What is vape juice? Are smoke-free e-cigarettes safe? Are nicotine-free vapes safe? Is the vapour created by e-cigarettes safe? Is vaping illegal in Australia? Get help to quit vaping