"In light of increasing reports of e-cigarette-associated lung illnesses across the country, the AMA urges the public to avoid the use of e-cigarette products ...," AMA President Patrice Harris said in a statement.
At least five people in the United States have died from a lung illness possibly tied to vaping. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is probing 450 cases of lung illness that may have been caused by e-cigarette use around the country.
E-cigarettes are generally thought to be safer than traditional cigarettes, which kill up to half of all lifetime users, according to the World Health Organization. But the long-term health effects of vaping are largely unknown.
"We must not stand by while e-cigarettes continue to go unregulated. We urge the US Food and Drug Administration to speed up the regulation of e-cigarettes and remove all unregulated products from the market," AMA's Harris added.According to the Israel Health Ministry, there is no evidence that smoking an e-cigarette will help someone quit smoking. The ministry says, "Apart from nicotine, E-cigarettes contain additional harmful substances, among them substances that can adversely affect the respiratory system and substances which are considered carcinogenic, meaning have the potential to cause cancer."The Ministry also says that teens that smoke e-cigarettes are seven times more likely to smoke regular cigarettes later in life.