E-cigarettes are hugely popular in the UK, as evidenced by a 4.5 increase in the number of e-smokers, from 700,000 in 2012 to more than 3.2 million as of last year. E-cigarettes were first intended as a tool to quit smoking but have become a habit of their own, with many people continuing to use them long-term because they believe they have no consequences to their health.
A lot of popular research, especially following a December 2018 study by Public Health England, portrays e-cigarettes as “relatively safe”. If you look at a broad spectrum of medical opinion, however, vaping may be better than smoking but it is still harmful.
What is vaping?
The word vaping comes from the word vapour, which refers to the aerosol produced by an e-cigarette. The device heats a liquid, creating a spray of particles suspended in gas, which is then inhaled by the smoker. Most of the liquid smoked in e-cigarettes contains nicotine (even some of the ones that claim to be nicotine-free, as discovered by the Medical Journal of Australia earlier this year!).
The liquid heated in an e-cigarette usually contains nicotine — which is the main draw of a regular cigarette or cigar— as well as flavorings, and other chemicals. Vapers inhale the aerosol produced by the heated liquid into their lungs. It may also be inhaled by those nearby, if they breathe in the second-hand vapour when the user exhales.
Unlike a cigarette, which contains tobacco and various chemicals, an e-cigarette contains nicotine, ultrafine particles, flavouring such as diacetyl, volatile compounds, carcinogens (chemicals that cause cancer), heavy metals and, of most concern, mystery substances that may not be included on the ingredients list.
“Vaping is 95% safer than cigarettes.”
Where did this dramatic claim come from?
From the government, actually.
Public Health England recently released a study in which they compared the amount of tar that collects in the lungs when you smoke cigarettes, with the amount of tar that collects in the lungs when you smoke e-cigarettes, concluding triumphantly that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than cigarettes. This conclusion relates to the fact that the tar produced by smoking regular cigarettes is linked to heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
It is understandable that the government wants people to stop smoking and if they have to vape instead, that is considered better for public health. However, the findings into research conducted into the effects of e-cigarettes are very significant.
The risks:
- You are at least 60% more likely to suffer a heart attack if you vape. Some researchers say the risks actually double.
- If you smoke e-cigarettes, you are 71% more likely to have a stroke than a non-smoker.
- Smoking e-cigarettes has been linked to the formation of blood clots.
- The refills for e-cigarettes contain 5-15 times more formaldehyde than normal cigarettes.
- E-cigarette vapour disables the cilli of the lungs, the protective fronds of tissue that remove harmful bacteria and pollutants from the lungs.
- E-cigarette vapour is cytotoxic, i.e. toxic to living cells, which is why your lung cells die 50 times faster if you vape.
- E-cigarette vapour promotes inflammation and inhibits cell renewal.
- E-cigarette vapour damages immune cells.
- E-cigarette vapour triggers a variety of lung disease, including severe bronchitis, asthma and emphysema.
- The majority of research into the effects of the liquids used in e-cigarettes is conducted before they are heated. One study found that these liquids are much more toxic to living cells after being vaporised.
- Coming into contact with the liquid in an e-cigarette can cause skin irritation and poisoning.
Are there any benefits?
The main benefit of vaping seems to be that it helps cigarette smokers to give up cigarettes. If you are looking to quit smoking, there are a number of other options. Hypnotherapy, for example, is an excellent approach. There are also free NHS kits to help you quit for good.
To vape or not to vape
If you don’t smoke, please don’t start vaping! If you’re already a cigarette smoker and are looking to quit, vaping is only one of many options that can support quitting, and it is recommended that you fully investigate the possibilities.
Despite some encouraging research that hails vaping as significantly less harmful than smoking, it’s important to remember that as a relatively new phenomenon, the long-term effects of vaping are still not fully understood.
It is also recommended that you seek support if you want to stop smoking, as it is very difficult to do it alone. But whether you smoke cigarettes or e-cigarettes, it’s clear that the health benefits of quitting are enormous, and begin immediately, from the moment you stop smoking. It’s never too late.
