Kids absorb less nicotine from secondhand e-cig vapour than from cig smoke, but still absorb some

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-07-12 01:00

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A UK study of 1,777 US kids aged between three and 11 found that being exposed to secondhand vapour from e-cigs indoors in the past seven days resulted in nicotine absorption which was 83.6% lower than in kids exposed to cigarette smoke indoors in the past seven days. But kids who were exposed to neither vapour nor smoke had absorbed 96.7% less nicotine than kids exposed to cigarette smoke, suggesting kids exposed to vapour absorbed five times as much nicotine as kids who weren't exposed to any vapour or smoke, the researchers say. They conclude that switching from smoking to vaping indoors when kids are around would reduce their exposure to nicotine substantially, but abstaining from both cigarettes and vapes is the most effective way of preventing children from being exposed to nicotine.