Flavored liquids used in vapes affect the survival and functioning abilities of human cells, thus damaging blood vessels and perhaps causing a heart disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"The public has this notion that e-cigarettes are safe. As a result of this perception, a lot of kids pick up e-cigarette smoking. There's so many kids who are smoking e-cigarettes. And these kids are going to become adults. And these adults can become elderly patients that I as a cardiologist will take care of later on," director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and a professor in the medical school's departments of medicine and radiology, study author Dr. Joseph Wu, cautioned.

After studying six liquids of different concentrations, researchers discovered toxic effects on a type of cardiovascular cell after being in contact with e-liquids, finding that the cinnamon-flavored product is the most damaging.

"In addition to harm from the nicotine, the additives are a potential source of adverse vascular health and one that is being disproportionately placed on the young," scientists in a related commentary published in the same journal said.