Is The Electronic Cigarette Safe?
The electronic cigarette has received increased media coverage since the FDA released its report on the product in 2009. More tobacco smokers, concerned about the negative health effects associated with traditional cigarettes and interested in new ways to deliver nicotine, are researching the safety of electronic cigarettes. In response to the FDA’s report, the American Association of Public Health Physicians (AAPHP) has released several favorable reports on public use of the electronic cigarette.
Electronic cigarettes, commonly referred to as e-cigarettes, are battery operated atomizers. Nicotine solution is inserted into a tube that looks similar to a cigarette. When the user drags on the tube, the atomizer evaporates the solution. The user inhales the evaporated solution, which accounts for the nicotine delivery, and then exhales a visible cloud, similar in appearance to smoke. Since the electronic cigarette does not include combustible materials, no actual smoke is created.
The health risks associated with smoking traditional cigarettes occur due to the inhalation of burning tobacco. The nicotine found in tobacco does not pose risk of cancer or other respiratory diseases. The byproducts of burning tobacco drawn into the lungs are what cause those conditions. Nicotine users who substitute an electronic cigarette for a traditional cigarette immediately reduce their risk of developing respiratory disease due to their limiting the intake of harmful tobacco byproducts. The AAPHP suggests that electronic cigarettes can help lead to a decline of up to 99% of tobacco related diseases among users who cannot quit or who do not want to quit. This decline can occur due to the absence of burning tobacco.
In addition to the immediate health benefits for the user, electronic cigarettes pose little to no danger to non-smokers, unlike the negative health effects associated with second hand smoke. The vapor cloud released by an electronic cigarette user is created by propylene glycol, which is found in many common products including several pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, deodorant and saline solutions. In addition, propylene glycol is used to create smoke in fog machines. The AAPHP suggests use of the electronic cigarette indoors likely poses less than 1% of the risk of traditional cigarettes to others in the room, but concedes studies should be conducted to find the true risk.
The electronic cigarette has not yet enjoyed the same success as traditional cigarettes, but the number of users is growing as information about the reduced health risks of the product is released to the public. By reducing the amount of inhaled byproducts of burning tobacco, smokers decrease their chance of developing respiratory diseases. In addition, the reduced risk of second hand smoke ingestion to non-smokers makes the electronic cigarette a viable alternative to traditional cigarettes.