From sleek devices masquerading as highlighters to flavor clouds drifting down school hallways, vaping has burst into a global phenomenon, particularly among teens. Although e-cigarettes were first pitched as a "healthier" alternative to smoking, recent research unearths a disturbing concoction of chemicals lurking beneath those saccharine-tasting plumes. A few are 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. Others? Acutely poisonous. With the increasing popularity of these artificial mixtures, we might be at the beginning of a new epidemic of public health one conceived by "flavoured lies.Vaping devices currently reign supreme in the nicotine market, with more than 4.5 million constant consumers in the UK alone and countless more internationally. For teenagers, flavored disposable e-cigarettes such as "Blue Razz Ice" or "Killer Kustard" are the most common gateway. In the United States, according to a 2024 federal survey, 5.9% of middle-school and high-school students consume e-cigarettes, with the majority using flavored products.This popularity is not by chance. The fruit, dessert, and sweet tastes cover up nicotine's bitterness and provide a sensory experience that simulates candy, soda, or gum. Some products feature artificial sweeteners such as neotame, a 7,000–13,000-fold sweeter compound than sugar. Neotame is safe for food use according to the FDA just not for inhaling. The effects of inhaling such a potent compound into sensitive lung tissue are unknown, but it's now available in almost every leading unregulated disposable vape brand.Flavored Vape Fueling Future Diseases?A new study in JAMA tested 11 of the top-selling disposable e-vape brands—Elf Bar, Breeze, and Mr. Fog among them—and detected neotame in each and every one of them. What's more, the sweeteners were found even in vapes labeled "zero nicotine" or those with analogs, providing them with an even wider, youth appeal.Scientists employed AI neural networks to model what occurs with the 180 flavor chemicals known when e-liquids are exposed to heat within a vape. The outcome? Alarming.High temperatures cause dozens of new, toxic substances to emerge—most of which aren't even included in any label. These include:127 "acutely toxic" substances153 "health hazards"225 "irritantsThese byproducts contain volatile carbonyls (VCs), a family of chemicals that have been shown to destroy the lungs and cause cancer. These were most prevalent in the fruit- and dessert-flavored versions the same versions that control youth tastes.Though the FDA has approved just 34 e-cigarettes, all restricted to menthol or tobacco flavors, the other 86% of the U.S. vaping market contains technically illegal flavored products yet widely dispensed at convenience stores and gas stations. They are largely made in China, where flavored vapes were outlawed on the domestic market in 2022, pushing exports into overseas markets such as the United States.The Supreme Court recently upheld the FDA's refusal to approve flavored vape applications on the grounds of their irresistible attraction to young consumers. But in reality, enforcement is still fragmented and non-functional, with illegal, flavored vapes falling through the cracks and into the backpacks of children.Why is it Particularly Dangerous for Teenagers?The adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable to nicotine's impact, and specialists say that early exposure through vaping can have profound and long-lasting effects. Nicotine has been shown to modify the formation of neural pathways in teenagers, raising the likelihood of long-term dependence, diminishing cognitive ability and attention span, and even leading to mood disorders. There is also increasing worry that vaping is a gateway, that it's getting young people to move on to traditional smoking or to other drugs. But the threat is more than nicotine. Numerous youths who have never smoked are now regularly breathing in a mix of up to 180 chemical flavorings found in flavored vapes. These e-liquids include a combination of more than 180 flavoring chemicals, some of which were initially intended for consumption not inhalation.When heated, they can transform into entirely new compounds, the health impacts of which are not yet fully understood. Unlike tobacco, which took decades to definitively link to lung cancer and heart disease, vaping is introducing unregulated, high-temperature chemicals into young lungs, creating a public health challenge whose full effects may only be known years from now. Most of the 180 flavor chemicals found in e-liquids are derived from the food industry. There, they are safe to consume. But inhale and heat them? A whole other story.Chemicals such as diacetyl, which is characterized by its "buttery" taste, have already been associated with popcorn lung a serious but unusual type of lung disease. Researchers now fear that a series of long-term diseases will become reality in the next few decades as a result of extended exposure to vaping, particularly among individuals who started smoking e-cigarettes in their teens.The inconsistency of vaping products also adds to the confusion. Variations in the design of batteries, temperature control, and e-liquids ensure that no two puffs are identical, so the health concerns become even more uncertain. The charm of sweet, dessert-like vapes might seem innocent even exciting to some average teen but at the back of those flavors are chemicals never meant to be inhaled, and which could lead to health issues years later.