France’s ANSES warns vaping carries health risks, urges limiting e-cigarette use to smoking cessation

Key Points

• Source: ANSES expert review (14 experts; 2,864 studies plus international reports)
• Bottom line: vaping still involves inhaling harmful substances and carries health risks
• Recommendation: use only as a cessation tool, then stop
• Exposure pathways: metals emitted from devices; liquid ingredients (propylene glycol, glycerol, flavorings); new compounds formed during heating
• Addiction: nicotine aerosols are described as having addictive potential comparable to cigarette smoke

2Firsts, Feb 4, 2026

According to France’s National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), vaping carries health risks because it exposes users to toxic or harmful substances, even though e-cigarettes are widely viewed as less harmful than cigarettes. 

The agency urges keeping e-cigarettes strictly as a tool for smoking cessation, and strongly discourages use among non-smokers and young people, who may be drawn in by sweet and fruity flavors.

ANSES said 14 experts reviewed 2,864 scientific studies along with multiple international reports. 

The agency links potential harms to repeated inhalation of substances originating from device emissions (including metals), liquid ingredients such as propylene glycol, glycerol and flavorings, and additional compounds formed when liquids are heated.

On respiratory health, ANSES highlights aldehydes formed during heating that can bind to airway tissues and degrade them, potentially impairing normal repair over time. 

Cellular alterations, including DNA lesions, have also been observed, which could contribute to a cancer-prone environment, though ANSES notes long-term outcomes may take decades to manifest and current follow-up remains limited. Some studies suggest an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while evidence is insufficient to establish links with asthma or bronchitis.

On cardiovascular effects, ANSES describes harmful impacts as “probable” when vaping nicotine-containing liquids and “possible” even without nicotine, citing changes in heart rate and blood pressure that could lead to long-term cardiac disease.

ANSES also stresses addiction: when nicotine is present, the aerosol’s addictive potential is described as comparable to cigarette smoke, making cessation difficult. Overall, among 1,775 aerosol substances identified, the agency singled out 106 as “particularly concerning,” even if their concentrations are generally lower than those found in cigarette smoke.

Image source: ANSES