FDA bans sale of Vuse Alto menthol e-cigarettes, citing health risks for teens

Vaping could be more harmful to lungs than smoking cigarettes

'We find evidence that [e-cigarette] use causes a unique inflammatory response in the lungs,' researchers wrote in the study.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on the sale of Reynolds American Vuse Alto menthol e-cigarettes on Oct. 12, citing a risk to kids who they believe are a target consumer for the product.

The FDA said in a press release that the ban includes three menthol-flavored and three mixed berry-flavored products, each of which are offered in varying degrees of nicotine strength.

British American Tobacco (BAT), the parent company of Reynolds said it would challenge the FDA ban in court.

"We believe appropriately regulated flavored vaping products — including menthol — are critical in supporting adult smokers migrate from combustible cigarettes," Kingsley Wheaton, BAT's chief strategy and growth officer, said in a news release.

The news follows an alarming statistic released by health officials last year which found that an estimated 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes during the earlier part of 2022.

One in four of those students said they used e-cigarettes daily, according to a national survey conducted between Jan. 18 and May 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Thursday.

"Adolescent e-cigarette use in the United States remains at concerning levels, and poses a serious public health risk to our nation’s youth," Brian King, director of FDA center for tobacco products said in a statement.

FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY. IT WAS REPORTED FROM LOS ANGELES.