Article by Reza V
Probably you have heard a lot of things about e cigarettes….That they are a healthier alternative to tobacco cigarettes, and that even they can be used for quitting smoking. But unfortunately the advertisers usually do not tell you about the health hazards of electronic cigarettes.Since the e cigarettes are fairly a new invention, not many controlled studies are available about them. In 2009 FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation analyzed the chemical composition of a small sample of cartridges from two leading brands of them. Below are the highlights of their findings:
diethylene glycol was found in just one of the cartridges. diethylene glycol is a toxic ingredient used in anti-freeze.A low amount of Carcinogens, including nitrosamines were found in half of the samples tested.Some of the cartridges labeled as non-nicotine, did contain nicotine.Three of the cartridges that were considered to have the same amount of nicotine, did contain different levels of nicotine.The FDA also reminds that these results should not be used conclusively because the chemical compositions of different electronic cigarette brands vary widely. In other words, if we want to have a realistic understanding of health hazards of smokeless cigarettes more testing of this unregulated product is needed.But e cigarettes still deliver nicotine. Is the nicotine dangerous? Yes, it has been found that nicotine can be a large risk factor associated with heart attack. It will speed up your heart, raise your blood pressure, and is considered a vasoconstrictor (i.e. it will make the act of pumping blood through your arteries more difficult for your heart). Nicotine is also a poisonous substance and it has been recommended to keep your e liquids out of the reach of children. So, if you are suffering from high blood pressure or a heart condition, using electronic cigarettes (and also tobacco cigarettes) can be very harmful to your health and may result in heart attack.In 2009 there was also an online survey conducted among 303 smokers who had used electronic cigarettes. The results of this survey indicated that replacing tobacco cigarettes with e cigarettes can decrease the health problems, and will result in less cough, more ability for exercising, and better sense of taste and smell.In conclusion, we can not exactly say if electronic cigarettes are hazardous or not because there is not many controlled studies on them. But generally it is clear that they are not completely healthy products and they can be harmful to their users. But they seem to be a healthier alternative to tobacco cigarettes, and replacing them with real cigarettes can reduce the harms of smoking.
If you want to learn more about the health hazards of electronic cigarettes, and to find some more in-depth reviews of electronic cigarettes take a look at http://freesmokelesscig.com/
Here are some other Electronic Cigarette resources you may find of value and interest:
Richmond_(cigarette) encyclopedia topics | Reference.com
E-cigs will be regulated as tobacco products – Health – Addictions …
E-cigarettes and Smoke-free Policies
E-Cigarette or Drug-Delivery Device? Regulating Novel Nicotine …
Electronic Cigarette No Nicotine or harmful chemicals will give 5 …
Cigarettes Without Smoke or Regulation – NYTimes.com
