Sales of Nicotine-Containing Electronic Cigarette Products: United States, 2015.
To assess the proportion of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) products sold in the United States that contain nicotine according to retail scanner data.



We obtained unit sales data from January 11, 2015, to December 12, 2015, from The Nielsen Company for convenience stores; supermarkets; mass merchandisers; drug, club, and dollar stores; and Department of Defense commissaries. The data did not include purchases from tobacco specialty shops, "vape shops," or online sources. Nicotine content was assessed by product type (disposables, rechargeables, and refills), region, and flavor status based on nicotine strength listed in the Universal Product Codes. For the 36.7% of entries lacking nicotine content information, we conducted Internet searches by brand, product, and flavor.



In 2015, 99.0% of e-cigarette products sold contained nicotine, including 99.0% of disposables, 99.7% of rechargeables, and 98.8% of refills. Overall, 98.7% of flavored e-cigarette products and 99.4% of nonflavored e-cigarette products contained nicotine.



In 2015, almost all e-cigarette products sold in US convenience stores and other assessed channels contained nicotine. Public Health Implications. Findings reinforce the importance of warning labels for nicotine-containing products, ingredient reporting, and restrictions on sales to minors.
Kristy L. Marynak, Tushar Singh, and Brian A. King are with the Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Doris G. Gammon, Todd Rogers, and Ellen M. Coats are with the Center for Health Policy Science and Tobacco Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC. Tushar Singh is also with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kristy L
KL
Marynak
Kristy L. Marynak, Tushar Singh, and Brian A. King are with the Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Doris G. Gammon, Todd Rogers, and Ellen M. Coats are with the Center for Health Policy Science and Tobacco Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC. Tushar Singh is also with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Doris G
DG
Gammon
Kristy L. Marynak, Tushar Singh, and Brian A. King are with the Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Doris G. Gammon, Todd Rogers, and Ellen M. Coats are with the Center for Health Policy Science and Tobacco Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC. Tushar Singh is also with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Todd
T
Rogers
Kristy L. Marynak, Tushar Singh, and Brian A. King are with the Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Doris G. Gammon, Todd Rogers, and Ellen M. Coats are with the Center for Health Policy Science and Tobacco Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC. Tushar Singh is also with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ellen M
EM
Coats
Kristy L. Marynak, Tushar Singh, and Brian A. King are with the Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Doris G. Gammon, Todd Rogers, and Ellen M. Coats are with the Center for Health Policy Science and Tobacco Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC. Tushar Singh is also with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tushar
T
Singh
Kristy L. Marynak, Tushar Singh, and Brian A. King are with the Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Doris G. Gammon, Todd Rogers, and Ellen M. Coats are with the Center for Health Policy Science and Tobacco Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC. Tushar Singh is also with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Brian A
BA
King
D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005421:Flavoring Agents; D006801:Humans; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011356:Product Labeling / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States
D005421:Flavoring Agents; D009538:Nicotine