Surge in e-cigarette use spurs concern

Signs in the window of the Smoke Depot advertise electronic cigarettes and pods by Juul, the nation's largest maker of e-cigarette products, on September 13, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.
Photo credit Scott Olson/Getty Images

KYW’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross. 

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The popularity of e-cigarettes has spurred what the surgeon general calls a major health issue: Teens are turning to nicotine due to a new packaging system.

Many are concerned because of the risk of lung cancer, which causes more deaths than colon, breast, and pancreatic cancer combined. While the disease is on the decline among men, diagnosis and death rates in women continue to rise. 

Smoking cigarettes and e-cigarettes is not the only problem. In a recent American Lung Association survey, those studied said they weren't concerned about lung cancer since they had successfully quit smoking or never smoked at all. 

Remember, smoking is the biggest risk factor. 

But one in 10 cases occur in people who have never smoked a day in their lives, and women younger than age 45 are more likely than men of the same age to develop the disease.