E Cigarettes-Are They Harmful or Beneficial?

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E-cigarettes: are they harmful or beneficial?

An electronic cigarette (EC) is a smoking device that is used recreationally or as a smoking cessation tool. These cigarettes have become increasingly popular in the recent years. ECs have existed for a long period, as they were first patented in 1965 by HA Gilbert as a device that looked like a conventional cigarette (CC), but did not contain the carcinogens of tobacco, designed to replace the use of CCs.

 

How do they work?

A heating element in the EC makes an aerosol or spray of a solution of propylene glycol, glycerol, nicotine (optional), and flavouring (optional). These compounds are harmless on their own. However, upon heating, they produce various carcinogens and irritants.

 

So are they safe?

Researchers found that concentrations of these toxicants vary significantly depending on the type of EC device, the type of EC liquid, and the smoking behaviour of the user. Exposure to these vapours can cause inflammation and oxidative damage to the lung cells. EC aerosol can also potentially affect organ systems and especially heart and lung function.EC aerosol introduces new toxicants not found in CCs; long-term studies are needed to investigate possible chronic effects associated with EC use.

In addition to introducing metals into the lungs, ECs contain oxidants in the batteries and cartomizers, which could also contribute to inflammation in the. Thus, without even considering the EC liquid, ECs expose the users to potentially harmful substances.

"Although the tobacco industry markets e-cigarettes as a tool to help adult smokers quit smoking, e-cigarette use only marginally increases the number of adult cigarette smokers who can successfully quit," said principle investigator Samir Soneji, PhD, Associate Professor at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. 

EC devices are capable of causing damage at a cellular level by directly causing respiratory cell death. ECs can cause inflammation, which could potentially cause or aggravate conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Also, ECs are capable of reducing the ability of a person’s immune system to fight off both bacterial and viral infections. This could be due to a decreased ability of certain immune cells to act, as well as fewer viral defence molecules in the lungs.

"E-cigarettes could lead to more than 1.5 million years of life lost because their use could substantially increase the number of adolescents and young adults who eventually become cigarette smokers," says Dr. Soneji.

Efforts at state, national and local are needed for reducing e-cigarettes use among the young adults and adults. "We also need to close the regulatory gaps that make e-cigarettes appealing to adolescents and young adults by reducing the availability of kid-friendly flavours (e.g., fruit-flavoured e-cigarettes) and issuing product standards that reduce the level of known toxins and carcinogens in e-juice.", Dr. Soneji mentioned.

In Europe, advertising of ECs is banned, and new guidelines and quality control rules have been established recently, especially to limit nicotine concentration. Overall, most current regulatory efforts emphasize enforcing limited disclosures on the industry and do not yet focus on impacting safety or efficacy. The government’s efforts of displaying images of mouth or lung cancer on the cigarette packets are fetching doubtfully positive results, and much more needs to be done to prevent youngsters from picking up cigarettes, while helping smokers quit.

 

  1. Cooke A, Fergeson J, Bulkhi A, and Casale TB. 2015a. The electronic cigarette: the good, the bad, and the ugly. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Practice, 3: 498–505.
  2. Cheng T. 2014. Chemical evaluation of electronic cigarettes. Tobacco Control, 23: ii11–ii17. PMID: 24732157
  3. Samir S. Soneji, Hai-Yen Sung, Brian A. Primack, John P. Pierce, James D. Sargent. Quantifying population-level health benefits and harms of e-cigarette use in the United States. PLOS ONE, 2018; 13 (3): e0193328
  4. Duong A, Steinmaus C, McHale CM, Vaughan CP, and Zhang L. 2011. Reproductive and developmental toxicity of formaldehyde: a systematic review. Mutation Research, 728: 118–138. PMID: 21787879
An electronic cigarette (E-cigarettes) is a smoking device that is used recreationally or as a smoking cessation tool. Although the tobacco industry markets e-cigarettes as a tool to help adult smokers quit smoking, e-cigarette use only marginally increases the number of adult cigarette smokers who can successfully quit.

E-cigarettes, electronic cigarette, cigarettes, carcinogens of tobacco, benefits of e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes risk.

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