As newly approved flavored e-cigarettes hit the market, health experts are keeping their eyes on the impact on teens, as well as adults hoping to quit smoking. For the first time, the FDA has authorized flavored e-cigarettes. The nicotine products, produced by the company Glas, feature mango and blueberry flavors, but also include an age-verification system that requires users to pair the devices with smartphones. “It’s a big deal because it's the first time this has happened,” says Theodore Wagener, PhD, the director of the Center for Tobacco Research (CTR) at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). “The FDA thought that this e-cigarette would be satisfactory for public health because manufacturers demonstrated that the new system could prevent youth from using the product.” The potential appeal of the new products among young people is concerning to many, but as Wagener points out, a lack of prior FDA authorization hasn’t prevented flavored e-cigarettes from making their way into the hands of vape users. “Unfortunately, enforcement of the e-cigarette market has been pretty lax over the last 10 years. So, the market is currently flooded with flavored e-cigarette products,” he says. “What it could signal is that other companies will use Bluetooth devices or other age verification techniques to get through the FDA’s authorization process.” While the potential impact on teens remains to be seen, researchers will also pay close attention to the flavored e-cigarettes’ impact on adults, particularly smokers who could turn to the new products as alternatives to cigarettes. “If we want smokers to switch, we need these products to be competitive with cigarettes. Potentially, one way to do that is to have them be flavored,” Wagener says. “The possible benefits versus the risks of flavors are currently being studied.” One of those studies is currently underway at Ohio State, where Wagener and his CTR colleagues are conducting the nation’s largest trials of e-cigarette flavors in partnership with colleagues from the Medical University of South Carolina. “Clearly, flavors are attractive to kids — they report that it’s one of the primary reasons they begin vaping — so, flavors remain a critical issue,” Wagener says. “However, the flavors are also appealing to smokers, and a potential benefit of e-cigarettes is that they’re an alternative form of nicotine that could reduce harm for adult smokers that switch.” “Hopefully, we see that these products only get used by smokers who are looking to reduce harm, and not to create new nicotine addictions.” Smoking cessation: Here's how Ohio State experts provide support and consultation to people who are ready to stop smoking, or thinking about quitting.