Cigarette smoking down, e-cigarettes up

NEW YORK STATE--New York state's high school student smoking rate in 2016 was the lowest on record at 4.3 percent, down from 27.1 percent in 2000 according to a survey recently released by the New York State Department of Health.
The survey also found that e-cigarette use by high school students nearly doubled in the last two years from 10.5 percent in 2014 to 20.6 percent in 2016. Due to their sweet flavor and the mistaken belief that they are not harmful to users, e-cigarette use continues to increase.
According to a 2016 report by the U.S. Surgeon General, the number of high school students using e-cigarettes soared 900 percent between 2011 and 2015, becoming the most commonly used form of nicotine among youths.
Contrary to the belief that e-cigarettes are safe alternatives to cigarettes, studies show that e-cigarettes are not hazard-free. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine and even those that do not may contain ultrafine particles that have been linked to lung disease like tin, lead, nickel and volatile organic compounds such as benzene and toluene.
In May 2016, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration added nicotine-containing e-cigarettes to its definition of tobacco products, a position consistent with the New York State Department of Health, which also considers e-cigarettes a tobacco product.
For additional information on the New York State Tobacco Control Program, visit www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/program_components.htm. To learn more about e-cigarettes and youth, visit https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/default.htm.