Highlights:
- Elf Bars, and other unauthorized e-cigarettes, are dangerous.
- These products contain harmful heavy metals which build up and remain in the body. It may take years to see the health impacts of these dangerous ingredients. Cancers, lung problems, and nerve damage are among the possible injuries.
- Despite the FDA’s crackdown on unauthorized disposable vapes, these products remain available for purchase.
What are Elf Bars and why are we concerned?
The name might be fun and new, but Elf Bars (along with Esco Bars, Flum Pebbles, Fumes, Lavas, and more) are just aesthetically marketed electronic cigarettes. Despite media hype that might suggest otherwise, they aren’t a risk-free alternative to smoking. Their use can result in serious health risks.
These e-cigarettes are not authorized for sale in the U.S. by the FDA, in part because of the health issues associated with their use. To make matters worse, they are aggressively marketed to tweens, teens, and young adults. The device design and packaging feature trendy, colorful designs. The array of candy and fruit-inspired flavors attracts a younger crowd, who might be less enticed by plain tobacco or menthol.
How do e-cigarettes work?
E-cigarettes or “ENDS,” (electronic nicotine delivery systems) provide a nicotine dose without a user inhaling smoke. These devices were created in the early 2000s and have since been marketed as safer alternatives to combustible tobacco products (traditional cigarettes, cigars, and pipes), as well as smoking cessation devices. E-cigarettes come in a variety of designs, but they all work the same way: vaporizing nicotine liquid for inhalation. The liquid (called e-liquid, e-juice, vape juice, etc.) can be sold separately or included with the device. Users may need to insert a pod or vial of liquid into their ENDS or attach other components like mouth pieces. With the press of a button, a battery-operated heating element within the device activates and vaporizes the liquid. The user then inhales the vapor, and nicotine is delivered to their system via the lungs.
What chemicals can be found in e-cigarettes?
While e-cigarettes like Elf Bars don’t introduce smoke or tar into a user’s lungs, it’s becoming clear that the health risks linked to these products are just as serious. A 2025 study from University of California, Davis investigated the chemical contents of three popular e-cigarettes (Elf Bar, Esco Bar, and Flum Pebble). The researchers found that “toxic metallic elements” were present in the vaporized liquid that users inhaled, posing both cancer and noncancer risks. The heating elements typically contain chromium and nickel, which both can leach into the vapor. The liquid in some of these products were also found to contain lead, nickel, and copper. Testing also detected antimony, the origin of which was not clear.
How can these chemicals affect the human body?
It may take decades before we see the true results of long-term e-cigarette use. Toxic metals have a slow and cumulative effect. These metals have been studied individually and are known to pose serious health risks.
Lead
Lead’s toxicity to the human body has been well-documented. While it is harmful to people of all ages, lead exposure is especially damaging to children. Lead exposure can result in declining neurological functioning, including difficulty with learning and problems with memory. Behavioral changes, including increased hyperactivity, impulsivity, irritability, and delinquency are also risks. Neuromotor and neurosensory function can also be damaged, resulting in issues with dexterity, hearing, and sight.
Antimony
The throat and lungs can become inflamed as a result of antimony exposure. Other well-documented risks include nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Antimony is also classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Nickel
Inhalation of nickel has been shown to cause respiratory irritation, declining lung function, and increased risk of pulmonary fibrosis and possibly cancer. Exposure to nickel and nickel oxides can also impede immune responses, opening up the possibility of contracting illnesses the body might otherwise have been able to fend off. Nickel is also classified as a carcinogen.
Copper
Exposure to copper can result in a variety of painful and damaging conditions, including lung irritation, reduced pulmonary function, liver impairment, and gastrointestinal upset.
Chromium
Chromium is classified as a carcinogen, and can cause breathing problems, rashes, stomach ulcers, and damage to the male reproductive system.
Regulations and Sales
Beginning in 2016, the FDA has been regulating ENDS under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Four years later, in response to youth vaping concerns, the FDA ordered a halt on sales of sweet and fruity flavored vape products. This decision came as a result of evidence suggesting that these flavors disproportionately attracted young consumers. As of 2024, the FDA had only authorized the sale of 34 e-cigarette products and devices. Elf Bar, which consistently ranks as the most popular among these types of products, is not on this list.
Hundreds of stores that continue to sell unauthorized products have been issued warnings from the FDA, and a fraction of them are now facing severe fines. Despite this, Elf Bars and other e-cigarettes can still be found in many online and brick and mortar stores, allowing them to be easily purchased by young people.
How can Schlesinger Law Offices help?
If you or a loved one has been harmed by e-cigarettes, experienced legal representation can be critical. The product liability lawyers at Schlesinger Law Offices can help by:
- Identifying responsible parties including manufacturers and distributors.
- Preserving key evidence such as device samples, purchase records, medical files, and toxicology reports.
- Evaluating potential claims under product liability or consumer protection laws.
- Navigating resolution through negotiation, settlement, or litigation, to pursue compensation for medical costs, lost income, and long-term health impacts.
Sources and further reading
Disposable E-Cigarettes More Toxic Than Traditional Cigarettes (UC Davis, 2025).
Elevated Toxic Element Emissions from Popular Disposable E-Cigarettes: Sources, Life Cycle, and Health Risks (ACS Central Science, 2025)
Follow-Up Inspections Lead FDA to Seek Fines Against 10 More Retailers for Selling Unauthorized Elf Bar E-Cigarettes (US FDA, 2024)
Your Vape Pen Might Be Full of Lead (Vice, 2025)
A-Z Index of Tox Profiles (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2024)