As vapes evolve, teens could be exposed to higher and higher nicotine concentrations

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-07-30 01:00

International

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Teens who vaped nicotine saw an abrupt spike in cotinine concentration – a broken-down form of nicotine – in their urine, according to international researchers who tested teens undergoing substance use disorder treatment in the US between 2023 and 2025. The team says their findings suggest these patients were exposed to newer products with higher nicotine concentrations, or additives that either make nicotine more available for the body to use, or could make teens use them more or inhale the vapes deeper. The team says e-cigarette products have evolved rapidly from low-concentration e-liquids to pod-based systems with higher concentrations of nicotine, larger-capacity tanks, cooling flavours that reduce harshness and more. The team says that while this study only looked at one group of teens in the US, their findings indicate nicotine exposure is increasing, and further regulation is needed.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Psychiatry

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston

Funder: No funding information provided. Conflict of interest disclosures: Dr Levy reported serving as an expert consultant in litigation against the e-cigarette industry outside the submitted work. Dr Winickoff reported serving as a paid and unpaid expert witness in litigation against the tobacco industry outside this work. No other disclosures were reported.

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