Tobacco Research / 30.06.2025
Understanding the Vaping Landscape: What Research Still Needs to Uncover
Editor's note: Tobacco in any form is harmful to your health. Please discuss your use of tobacco products, including vaping, with your health care provider.
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Photo by Sabrina Rohwer:[/caption]
The popularity of vaping products has surged in recent years, with flavored disposable vapes especially dominating shelves and online marketplaces. While these products are often marketed as smoother, more palatable alternatives to traditional cigarettes, the long-term health effects remain unclear. As researchers work to better understand the impact of vaping on respiratory and cardiovascular health, there’s growing pressure to also examine the behavioral and chemical patterns surrounding use.
Photo by Sabrina Rohwer:[/caption]
The popularity of vaping products has surged in recent years, with flavored disposable vapes especially dominating shelves and online marketplaces. While these products are often marketed as smoother, more palatable alternatives to traditional cigarettes, the long-term health effects remain unclear. As researchers work to better understand the impact of vaping on respiratory and cardiovascular health, there’s growing pressure to also examine the behavioral and chemical patterns surrounding use.
Dr. Dai[/caption]
Dr. Hongying Daisy Dai, PhD
Professor and Associate Dean of Research
The College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Tobacco use landscape has been changing in the United States with fewer combustible cigarette smokers and more e-cigarette and other emerging tobacco users. Nicotine concentration level is a key product characteristic of modern e-cigarette products and high-nicotine vaping devices have recently become available. This study seeks to examine whether biomarkers of exposure to tobacco-related toxicants have changed since 2013 among adult nicotine e-cigarette users, non-nicotine e-cigarette users, and cigarette smokers.
Dr. Pierce[/caption]
John Pierce, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Department of Family Medicine and Public Health
Moores Cancer Center Director for Population Sciences
Co-leader of the Cancer Prevention program
UC San Diego
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Graphic Warning Labels are to be implemented in the US in July 2022, depending on litigation. This will be about 10 years after they were first proposed. Meanwhile, 120 other countries have implemented them already.
The FDA states that their purpose for the warnings is to provide a constant reminder to smokers about the health consequences of smoking, not to force them to quit.
In our study, 3 months of having cigarettes repackaged into graphic warning packs was associated with smokers thinking more about quitting and not getting as much pleasure out of their cigarettes. However, thinking about quitting is only the first step to conquering a nicotine addiction.