Vaping quick facts

What are they, why are they dangerous and what you can do about it

Resources from our partners at Quit

Quitline (13 7848) and information about quitting:

Quit's Get the facts about vaping website:

Quit's See through the haze campaign about the toxic chemicals in vapes:

While our partners at Quit have plenty of excellent resources outlined above, below we've included some answers to frequently Googled questions.

What are e-cigarettes (vapes)?

E-cigarettes, more commonly known as ‘vapes’, are battery operated devices, that use a coil to heat liquid into aerosols. The ‘cloud’ of fumes emitted from vaping is an aerosol, a fine spray containing toxic and corrosive chemicals that can lodge in the lungs. Using an e-cigarette is commonly called ‘vaping’.

How to talk to your child about vaping

See our page 'Vaping talk' tips for parents.
As noted at the top of this page, you can also visit the Get the facts on vaping website from our partners at Quit to learn more.

What is vape juice?

This is a term used to refer to the liquids used in e-cigarettes and other heated tobacco products. They can contain up to 200 toxic chemicals including formaldehyde, nicotine and heavy metals. These chemicals are known to cause cancer and damage our brains – they do not belong in our lungs.
Learn more about the chemicals in e-cigarettes in the See through the haze campaign from Quit.

Are smoke-free e-cigarettes safe?

E-cigarettes, vape pens and other heated tobacco products contain toxic chemicals that don’t belong in our lungs. Vaping is also highly addictive, and often leaves users feeling dependent on e-cigarettes. In Australia it’s illegal to sell nicotine e-cigarettes to someone without a medical prescription – but most vaping products available do, in fact, contain nicotine. E-cigarettes pose a host of health dangers, from asthma attacks, to bronchitis, to inflammation of the lungs and in some cases, even death. It’s illegal to sell any vaping products to people under the age of 18, regardless of whether they contain nicotine.
Learn more about the chemicals in e-cigarettes in the See through the haze campaign from Quit.

Are nicotine-free vapes safe?

Laboratory testing has shown that most e-cigarettes available in Australia do in fact contain nicotine, even those that say they don’t. Apart from when they are prescribed by a doctor, e-cigarettes are unregulated, which means there are no minimum product safety standards and there are no consequences for a manufacturer who doesn’t label their product accurately. E-cigarettes have been found to include up to 200 toxic chemicals, such as those found in paint stripper and weed killer.
In early May 2023, the Australian Government announced groundbreaking reforms to protect future generations from the harms created by Big Tobacco and the vaping industry. This includes Introducing minimum quality standards on certain flavours, colours and ingredients and reducing allowable nicotine content in vaping products.
Learn more about the chemicals in e-cigarettes in the See through the haze campaign from Quit.

Is the vapour created by e-cigarettes safe?

No. The e-cigarette industry calls the emissions from their product ‘vapour’ to give the impression it is just steam. But the emissions from e-cigarettes are actually an aerosol that contains hundreds of toxic particles. When people use e-cigarettes, this fine spray of chemicals enters the body via the lungs, where small particles can get lodged. The liquid inside vaping products can contain up to 200 chemicals, including poisons found in weed killer and paint stripper. Heavy metals found on the inside surface of vapes (including lead, nickel and aluminum) can also shed and lodge deep in the lungs.
Learn more about the chemicals in e-cigarettes in the See through the haze campaign from Quit.

Is vaping illegal in Australia? 

In Australia, it is illegal to buy and sell an e-cigarette or any e-liquid that contains nicotine, unless you have a doctor’s prescription. However, all e-cigarettes contain toxic and corrosive chemicals that don’t belong in our lungs. But big tobacco companies are skirting these regulations by selling ‘non-nicotine’ vapes which do in fact contain nicotine. In Australia, it is illegal to sell an e-cigarette or a liquid intended to be used in an e-cigarette (even if it does not contain nicotine) to a person under 18 years.
In early May 2023, the Australian Government announced groundbreaking reforms to protect future generations from the harms created by Big Tobacco and the vaping industry. This includes banning the retail sale of all single use, disposable e-cigarettes.