American Lung Association Responds to First Long-Term Study Finding E-Cigarettes Increase Likelihood of Chronic Lung Disease

Statement of American Lung Association Chief Medical Officer, Albert A. Rizzo, MD, in response to the release of the study, “Association of E-Cigarette Use with Respiratory Disease Among Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis,” in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. This is the first long-term study linking e-cigarettes to respiratory illness in a sample representative of the entire U.S. adult population.

“Adults who use e-cigarettes increased the likelihood of developing chronic lung disease, including asthma, bronchitis and emphysema, by a third. The authors concluded that e-cigarettes are harmful on their own, regardless of whether someone is smoking conventional tobacco. This alarming new study, using data from the Food and Drug Administration’s PATH study, tracked 32,000 adults from 2013 to 2016, also found the alarming consequences of dual use and underscores the urgent need for the Trump Administration and FDA to take meaningful action to protect the public health.  

“This study confirms why it’s so important that people end their addiction to tobacco entirely. People who use both e-cigarettes and cigarettes at the same time means they are at significantly greater risk of developing lung disease. E-cigarettes are not a quit smoking product and people who are ready to quit smoking should talk with their providers or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW about proven effective ways to end their addiction for good. 

“The American Lung Association sounded the alarm about the potential harm of e-cigarettes more than a decade ago. E-cigarettes are not quit smoking products and they must stop being treated as such.  Meaningful action is urgently needed to carefully review all e-cigarettes as required by law and to educate tobacco users about the very real consequence to their health.” 

For media interested in speaking with an expert about e-cigarettes, tobacco use and lung health, contact the American Lung Association at Media@Lung.org or 312-801-7629.