Electronic cigarettes are devices imitating regular smoking. Thousands of smokers around the world have already tried electronic cigarettes and found them perfect alternative to tobacco cigarettes. However there is one important hurdle – concerns about electronic cigarette health risks. Are electronic cigarettes harmful? – Ask smokers. Well, in order to answer this difficult question we need to observe several reports provided by respected organizations. Hopefully, results of comprehensive studies will give us some valuable information regarding electronic cigarette risks.
Electronic cigarette Health Issues
From the very beginning producers of electronic cigarettes promoted their products as safe alternative to tobacco cigs. But not everyone agrees with this ad slogan. Moreover some powerful organizations raise concerns over side effects of electronic cigarettes. How safe are electronic cigarettes? Probably, this is the most important question regarding this topic. First of all, people are afraid of possible electronic cigarette cancer. Then effects of electronic cigarettes are still unknown. But in fact there is just not enough data to make any real conclusions about dangers of electronic cigarettes.
WHO Underlines Risks of Electronic cigarettes
Producers of electronic cigarettes didn’t manage to get some support from World Health Organization. Moreover representatives of powerful WHO were against electronic cigarettes. According to WHO health risks of electronic cigarettes are quite high. But let’s try to find out why WHO is conservative. In fact, the real reason of this attitude towards health effects of electronic cigarettes lies in misinformation. Several electronic cigarettes suppliers said that WHO supported their products but the organization didn’t do it. So, this dishonest approach of electronic cigarettes suppliers resulted in conservative approach towards e cigs. At the same time tobacco industry also tried to protect its business arguing that negative effects of electronic cigarette are extremely dangerous. This approach doesn’t surprise anybody; tobacco companies don’t want to have new competitors on the market.
FDA electronic cigarette report
Are electronic cigarettes safe? Let’s have a look at US Department of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) data. Electronic cigarette FDA conclusions are the following:
- e-cigarettes are harmful. Toxins in vapor are most important health risks of electronic cigarettes.
- High level of chemicals can be found in every electronic cigarette
- New technologies of smoking are also hazardous and electronic cigarettes health risks are real.
- There is no much difference between electronic cigarette health risk and tobacco cigs health risk.
Researchers of FDA analyzed products of 19 different brands of electronic cigarettes. So, this study was quite comprehensive. But despite electronic cigarette dangers FDA approved electronic cigarettes and certified them. This means that electronic cigarettes are absolutely legal in the USA.
Scientists Found Health Benefits of electronic cigarettes
Is electronic cigarette harmful? Many organizations say yes, but Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) has got different opinion. Professors of BUSPH conducted comprehensive research including 16 laboratory studies. Analysts researched liquid from electronic cigarettes and found that electronic cigarettes safety is high. Electronic cigarette side effects are not as hazardous as side effects of regular cigs, according to the School of Public Health. The most important conclusion related to electronic cigarette health effects is that carcinogenic substances in electronic cigarettes are more than 1000 times less than in regular cigs.
So, professors from Boston support electronic cigarettes. They really believe that utilization of these devices is perfect and safe alternative to traditional smoking. But it is also interesting that BUSPH openly criticized conclusions of FDA about electronic cigarettes and health. BUSPH doesn’t agree that electronic cigarettes are not analyzed well enough. In contrast, representatives of Boston University School of Public Health call for further researches of tobacco cigarettes health effect.
Electronic cigarettes safety should not be doubted, says Michael Siegel, researcher from BUSPH. Health and electronic cigarettes should not concern smokers, believes Mr. Siegel.
Conclusion
So, it is quite difficult to make any conclusions about electronic cigarettes safe. Definitely, there is the need in more detailed research and more objective data. Hopefully influence of electronic cigarettes on health will be researched shortly. Millions die annually because of smoking. Smokers need safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes. Maybe electronic cigarettes will save lives in the future.
