Most college students in the U.S. think the FDA says e-cigarette flavors are safe to breathe in, but the FDA actually said that’s not true—they never said flavorings are safe for vaping.

When e-cigarettes are labeled as 'GRAS' (which means 'generally recognized as safe'), it tricks people—especially teens—into thinking they’re harmless to breathe, even though no real science or official rules back up that idea.

Just because a chemical is safe to eat doesn’t mean it’s safe to breathe in — things like flavorings in e-cigarettes can hurt your lungs even if they’re okay in food.

Just because a food ingredient is considered safe to eat doesn’t mean it’s safe to breathe in, especially when it’s heated up in a vape pen — the safety rules for eating and breathing are totally different.

The FDA says something is safe to eat only if you’re going to swallow it — but e-cigarettes spray chemicals into your lungs, so those chemicals aren’t covered by the same safety rules as food.

Flavors used in e-cigarettes that are safe to eat can still hurt your lungs when you breathe them in, causing irritation, cell damage, and swelling.