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Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid containing chemicals (called ‘e-liquid’) to produce an aerosol that users inhale (a process known as vaping). Every e-liquid is different and usually contains a number of chemicals that can be harmful.1 E-liquids can contain nicotine, even when labelled ‘nicotine free’.1
Update to the NHMRC Statement on Electronic Cigarettes Update
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has provided NHMRC with funding to develop an updated NHMRC Statement on Electronic Cigarettes (the updated NHMRC Statement).
The updated NHMRC Statement is intended to be published in 2028. Until it is published, the 2022 NHMRC Statement on Electronic Cigarettes will remain in effect.
More information about this process can be found in the updated Statement tab.
2022 NHMRC Statement on Electronic Cigarettes
The intent of the 2022 NHMRC Statement on Electronic Cigarettes (the 2022 NHMRC Statement) is to provide Australians with up-to-date information on e-cigarettes, including what the research says about the safety and potential health implications of e-cigarettes, the efficacy of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool, and the potential impacts of e-cigarette sponsorship, advertising, and promotion.
The 2022 NHMRC Statement and supporting documentation can be viewed in the 2022 Statement tab at the top of this page. A summary of the NHMRC Statement can be viewed in the 2022 Statement Summary tab.
The 2022 NHMRC Statement was informed by an evaluation of the latest and best available scientific evidence. Information about how the 2022 NHMRC Statement was developed can be found in the 2022 Statement Development tab.
The Electronic Cigarettes Working Committee (the Committee) was established on 5 June 2020 to oversee the development of the 2022 NHMRC Statement. Information about the Committee, including membership, can be found at Previous Committees and Advisory Groups.
E-cigarette related resources, including links to QUIT services, can be found on the Resources tab.
Research funded by NHMRC
High-quality research on e-cigarettes is needed. NHMRC is currently funding a number of studies investigating the:
- efficacy of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid, including amongst disadvantaged and vulnerable populations
- health impacts of e-cigarettes use
- patterns and use of e-cigarettes, including uptake of e-cigarettes in children and adolescents and potential impact of e-cigarettes on smoking uptake.
Since 2015 NHMRC has funded grants worth $13.1 million for research into e-cigarettes.
1 National Health and Medical Research Council. NHMRC Statement: Electronic Cigarettes. [Internet]. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council; June 2022. Available from NHMRC Statement tab.