Risk and safety profile of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS): an umbrella review to inform ENDS health communication strategies.

This umbrella review aimed to summarize the evidence about electronic nicotine delivery systems' (ENDS) risk and safety health profile to inform ENDS health communication strategies. The review found high-level evidence that ENDS exposes users to toxic substances, increases the risk of respiratory disease, leads to nicotine dependence, causes serious injuries due to explosion or poisoning, increases smoking cessation in clinical trials but not in observational studies, increases CC initiation, and exposure to ENDS marketing increases its use/intention to use. The authors suggest that health communication strategies should focus on high-level evidence related to ENDS association with toxicity, nicotine addiction, asthma exacerbation, ENDS-specific harm (explosion, poisoning), and anti-ENDS industry sentiment. They also recommend avoiding direct comparisons between the harm of CCs and ENDS due to the variation in ENDS products and the high prevalence of dual/polytobacco use.

asfar T, Jebai R, Li W, et al. Risk and safety profile of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS): an umbrella review to inform ENDS health communication strategies. Tobacco control. Published online September 8, 2022. doi:10.1136/tc-2022-057495