Federal Institute for Risk Assessment argues devices carry health risks

These include health risks of inhaling nicotine and toxic chemicals in vape

British Lung Foundations advocates use if they help people quit smoking

It argues health benefits from quitting outweigh current known risks
‘To vape or to vape?’ has become an extremely divisive question.

New figures show e-cigarettes are now the most popular form of support to stop smoking – overtaking gum and patches.

More than one million smokers in England used an electronic cigarette in a bid to kick the habit last year, the University College London research showed.

And yet the debate on whether they are safe rages on, with some experts advocating their use and other warning of potentially-dire health effects.

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, in Germany, argues while e-cigarettes users don’t inhale the cancer-causing chemicals associated with tobacco, the devices are not free from health effects.

Popular: E-cigarettes are now the most popular form of support to stop smoking – overtaking gum and patches, a study by University College London found

Some effects of nicotine – such as increased blood pressure and accelerated heartbeat, excessive production of stomach acid, increased adrenaline release – are often discussed as being associated with chronic diseases, it said.

However, Penny Woods, chief executive of The British Lung Foundation argues the damage caused by smoking is irreversable, and e-cigarettes are more effective at helping people quit than nicotine gum or patches.

Overall, vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than smoking, she says.

Here, writing for the medical blogging site The Hippocratic Post, they explain their views…

YES: WE SHOULD BE ENCOURAGING E-CIGARETTE USE

Penny Woods, chief executive of The British Lung Foundation

Many doctors and nurses have been underlining the message to patients that they should quit smoking to improve their health.

We know that many people have successfully used e-cigarettes to quit smoking.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency recently awarded a licence to allow the e-Voke brand to be marketed as a smoking cessation aid – the first time an e-cigarette has received such a licence.

However, there are mixed reports in the media, and some people think ‘vaping’ could be just another route to ill health.

MIXED HEALTH MESSAGES

Headlines last month, based on research from the University of California at San Diego, went as far as to say that ‘e-cigarettes cause cancer’.

Although this research has been widely criticised, we know there is uncertainty about the health effects of e-cigarettes.

Many will no doubt be worried about whether they should be suggesting vaping as a safer alternative to smoking.

In order to look at this, let’s consider smoking cigarettes first, so we can put e-cigarettes in context.

Smoking tobacco is the single biggest avoidable cause of death in our country.

Time to quit: Even if you already have a condition caused by smoking, such as COPD, giving up is the most effective way to stop your lungs getting any worse, says Dr Penny Woods

IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE FROM SMOKING

If people develop a smoking-related lung disease like lung cancer or COPD, the damage is irreversible.

It’s a very real problem for smokers and their families, causing symptoms like breathlessness, wheezing and chronic coughs.

Around half of long-term smokers will die as a result of their habit; research last year suggests this figure could be as high as two thirds.

And with around 10 million smokers in the UK today, it is a huge burden for the NHS.

It’s estimated that treating smoking-related diseases costs the NHS around £2 billion every year.

Once you take factors like smoking-related sick days, premature deaths and fires started by cigarettes into account, the total cost to society is nearly £14 billion.

This is far more than the government receives in cigarette taxes. Helping people stop smoking can help our health and economy.

Around half of long-term smokers will die as a result of their habit – and research last year suggests this figure could be as high as two thirds

ONLY QUITTING SMOKING REDUCES DISEASE

People who stop smoking can reduce their risk of getting a smoking-related disease surprisingly quickly.

Even if you already have a condition caused by smoking, such as COPD, giving up is the most effective way to stop your lungs getting any worse (even though the damage already done won’t recover completely).

This in turn will reduce pressure on the NHS and on society as a whole. So can e-cigarettes help you stop smoking?

Well, we know e-cigarettes have already helped many people quit.

Once you take factors like smoking-related sick days, premature deaths and fires started by cigarettes into account, the total cost to society is nearly £14 billion.This is far more than the government receives in cigarette taxes

E-CIGARETTES ARE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN GUM OR PATCHES

There is growing evidence that they are as effective, or even more effective, than other nicotine replacement products like gum and patches.

It is true there is a lot of ‘dual use’, which means people using e-cigarettes without actually fully stopping smoking.

Some people have also suggested that e-cigarettes may act as a ‘gateway’ for people to start smoking in the first place (although the fact that smoking rates have continued to fall while vaping has become more common suggests there is no reason for these concerns).

E-cigarettes also haven’t been popular for very long, so we don’t know everything about them yet.

We need lots more research to fully understand their long-term health impact, whether they help people to quit for good or just a little while, and what they do to people who already have a lung disease.

VAPING IS 95 PER CENT LESS HARMFUL THAN SMOKING

All the evidence we do have suggests is that vaping is at least 95 per cent less harmful than smoking.

That gives them huge potential to help protect the health of the nation.

And while we wouldn’t recommend vaping to non-smokers, if you are a smoker who hasn’t yet managed to quit using other methods – including using your local stop smoking service (the most effective way of quitting) – then you may want to consider trying e-cigarettes.

This should be done with the longer term aim of eventually quitting vaping too, at least until more research has been carried out.

I was recently asked what people will be saying in 30 years about e-cigarettes.

Though impossible to answer for sure, what I hope is that they’ll be pleased organisations like the British Lung Foundation encouraged the right research to establish the benefits and risks of e-cigarettes, and that we really understand the pros and cons of vaping as a result.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people were saying that e-cigarettes helped the UK become a smoke-free nation? Only time will tell whether they will.

NO: ‘LIQUIDS FROM E-CIGARETTES CAN HARM HEALTH’

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Germany

Smokers of e-cigarettes do not inhale the characteristic cancer-causing products and substances known to be present in tobacco smoke.

Nevertheless, e-cigarettes cannot be considered safe in terms of health effects.

An important risk factor is posed by inhaling nicotine.

Some effects of nicotine – such as increased blood pressure and accelerated heartbeat, excessive production of stomach acid, increased adrenaline release – are often discussed as being associated with chronic diseases.

Health risk: The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment argues adults who use their devices excessively may suffer from nicotine poisoning

NICOTINE POISONING

It might be possible to reliably assess the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes in future – but at the moment they are not known.

Another possible risk factor of e-cigarettes is acute nicotine poisoning in adults who use their device excessively.

There have also been cases of nicotine poisoning seen in children who accidentally swallow the liquids.

According to the assessment by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, smoking e-cigarettes might also trigger nicotine dependency, which might subsequently lead to tobacco smoking.

Passive smoking: E-cigarettes may still carry the risks associated with passive smoking – and some experts argue they should also be banned in non-smoking areas

HARMFUL INGREDIENTS

Moreover, additional ingredients of the liquids can pose health risks.

These include fumigation agents (propylene glycol, glycerine), chemical additives, added pharmacologically active compounds and various scent and aroma substances (e.g. menthol, linalool).

Propylene glycol, for example, can lead to irritation of the upper respiratory tract and might affect lung function.

Again, little is known about the long-term effects of chronic exposure to propylene glycol.

In addition, there are indications in the medical literature that some e-cigarette brands release cancer-causing aldehydes.

RISKS FOR PASSIVE SMOKERS OF E-CIGARETTE VAPE

Furthermore, risks for passive smokers cannot be ruled out on the basis of the current knowledge.

There are many different types of liquid sold to be used in e-cigarettes, which can contain different ingredients, meaning the nature of the substances that are inhaled and exhaled remain often unclear.

It is therefore difficult to identify pollutants that contribute to the contamination of indoor air.

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment therefore recommends that e-cigarettes should be treated like conventional cigarettes in non-smoking areas and that e-smoking is banned in such zones.

This article first appeared on and has been reproduced with the permission of The Hippocratic Post .

Source: Daily Mail