Illicit Chinese Vapes Are Flooding the US Market—and Becoming a Leading Choice for Children, Survey Finds

72 percent of children who vape are using illicit Chinese products, survey finds

Illicit nicotine vape products emanating from China account for more than 70 percent of those being consumed by children in the United States, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration, emphasizing the federal government’s struggle to stop Chinese vapes from entering the U.S. market.

Chinese-made e-cigarettes, otherwise known as vapes, have flooded the American marketplace for years, particularly after China banned flavored vapes in 2022. Since then, China’s vape export industry has boomed to $28 billion, according to Wired.

Though youth vaping rates are down in 2024, middle and high school students in the United States who do vape are turning to Chinese products. An FDA and CDC survey released last week found that 36 percent of U.S. students who vape use Elf Bar, China’s top manufacturer. Nearly 20 percent said they use Breeze vapes, which are produced by China’s Shenzhen Innokin Technology Co. and brought into the country illegally. Nearly 16 percent said they use Mr. Fog, another Chinese product manufactured by Dongguan Hengtai Biotechnology, Co. The FDA sent the company a warning letter in 2022.

Together, the three products make up 72 percent of the vapes used among U.S. middle and high school students, according to the survey. The finding underscores American health authorities’ struggle to contain the flow of Chinese-made vapes into the country, particularly given that many companies rebrand their illicit products to evade import restrictions.

Nicotine products produced in China are not approved by the FDA and often contain copious amounts of nicotine and harmful chemical additives. House lawmakers are scheduled to examine the issue on Tuesday during a hearing that will examine the agency’s efforts to crack down on illicit vape products.

The FDA’s survey estimates that in 2024, more than “1.63 million U.S. middle and high school students currently used e-cigarettes,” with 38 percent of users reporting frequent use and 26 percent reporting daily use.

While the FDA has attempted to police the marketplace, Chinese manufacturers who see their shipments seized at the border often change names and continue exporting their products. In other cases, the FDA’s enforcement mechanisms have fallen flat.

Last year, for example, after President Joe Biden’s FDA announced a “retailer inspection blitz” meant to crack down on illicit Chinese vapes, a convenience store located just 250 yards from the agency’s headquarters was found to be selling Elf Bar vapes.

“This clearly shows evidence that the FDA does not have an enforcement strategy,” Rich Marianos, a former assistant director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, told the Washington Free Beacon at the time. “Even in their own backyard, they are asleep at the wheel.”

Jim Carroll, the former director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, added that the failure to enforce laws against illicit Chinese vapes hurts American manufacturers. “The administration took efforts against products such as Juul that was swift, clear, and decisive,” he said. “We’re not seeing that now on products on the flavored disposable vaping pens coming from China. Why have we not seen action taken? I don’t know, and it worries me.”

Tuesday’s House hearing, led by the Energy and Commerce Committee, will examine shortfalls in the FDA’s efforts to keep Chinese-made vapes off American shelves.

“From the infant formula shortage, to lead poisoning in applesauce, to an onslaught of illegal Chinese vapes, Americans—and particularly children and teenagers—are at risk of consuming dangerous products, especially without safer alternatives and clear rules in place,” Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.) and Brett Guthrie (R., Ky.) said in a statement announcing the hearing.