According to a report conducted by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, e-cigarettes are found to be less harmful than conventional cigarettes but long-term health effects are not clear, The Guardian reported.

The study is based on an assessment by a panel of public health experts of more than 800 peer-reviewed studies. David Eaton, chair of the committee and dean and vice-provost at the University of Washington, said, “E-cigarettes cannot be simply categorised as either beneficial or harmful.”
Even though the panel found e-cigarettes to be less harmful than conventional cigarettes and that they produce less toxins than smoking, there is substantial evidence that shows e-cigarettes “emit numerous potentially toxic substances”, The Guardian reported.
The study also found that teen and young adult e-cigarette users were more likely to try smoking conventional cigarettes. Eaton was quoted as saying, “In some circumstances, such as their use by non-smoking adolescents and young adults, their adverse effects clearly warrant concern.
“In other cases, such as when adult smokers use them to quit smoking, they offer an opportunity to reduce smoking-related illness,” he said.
The report found that e-cigarettes had at least a short-term positive effect on adults trying to quit smoking.