INDIANAPOLIS — The American Lung Association wants Hoosiers to know e-cigarettes should not be considered a tool to quit smoking cigarettes.

Pulmonary Dr. David Hill said it’s important for the FDA to crack down on these false claims. In Indiana, over 21-percent of adults smoke cigarettes and nearly seven-percent smoke e-cigarettes. But among Indiana high schoolers, nearly 15-percent are smoking e-cigs while 11-percent smoke traditional cigarettes.

“The American Lung Association has actually filed suit against the FDA saying they have delayed product reviews and left youth more vulnerable to this,” Hill said. “Even though smoking rates are down, you can’t attribute that to people smoking e-cigarettes.”

Hill says not only are e-cigarettes wildly unregulated, they companies that make them are specifically marketing their products to kids, raising a new generation of nicotine addicts.

Vaping has been linked to hundreds of severe lung illnesses across the country, some resulting in death. He said the treatment for these illnesses related to vaping can be extensive and frightening.