Public health impact of disposable electronic cigarettes since 2021: a scoping review

Disposable e-cigarettes have rapidly proliferated since 2021, particularly among adolescents, raising dual public health concerns regarding youth nicotine initiation and potential harm reduction for adult smokers. This scoping review aims to map the available evidence on disposable e-cigarettes across the domains of chemistry, toxicology, epidemiology, and policy, and to elucidate their multi-dimensional public health implications.

We systematically searched Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, and Web of Science for peer-reviewed studies published in English between January 2021 and February 2026. This scoping review followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Studies were included if they involved disposable e-cigarettes and reported results of public health relevance.

132 studies were included and classified into four themes: (1) nicotine, chemical composition, and harm assessment (n = 41), (2) usage trends, population characteristics, and associated factors (n = 46), (3) effectiveness for smoking cessation (n = 14), and (4) relevant policies, regulation, and prevention (n = 31). Research findings raise health concerns regarding disposable e-cigarettes, but long-term clinical outcomes are not yet established. Disposable e-cigarettes are prevalent among adolescents and exhibit distinct demographic characteristics. Although they show potential as smoking cessation aids, they may also cause new nicotine dependence. Existing policies may prove limited in preventing adolescent e-cigarette use, necessitating enhanced regulatory oversight.

Post-2021 disposable e-cigarettes present public health challenges alongside considerable evidence gaps, necessitating both comprehensive regulatory actions and urgent prospective cohort studies to address the tension between adolescent use prevention and adult harm reduction.