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British scientists see e-cigarettes as a real alternative for smokers
Can smokers live healthier lives by smoking e-cigarettes instead of conventional smoking? Doctors do not get tired of warning. Proponents are now confirmed by a recent study. E-cigarettes also have advantages.
For years experts have been discussing controversial e-cigarettes. Some consider it a better alternative to tobacco, but many doctors warn against the health risks of electronic stink. British scientists, however, now paint a very different picture. According to a recent report by London's Royal College of Physicians, electric cigarettes could even "radically reduce" the damage caused by smoking..
British scientists see e-cigarettes as a sensible alternative for smokers. (Image: vchalup / fotolia.com) Experts have been arguing over benefits and risks for years
Ever since e-cigarettes hit the market, advocates and critics have been arguing over the pros and cons of small steam appliances. Some experts see them as a better alternative to regular cigarettes and point out that they can make the smoking stoppers easier. Others point out that e-cigarettes are not harmless, but instead are sometimes more problematic than normal smoking. Accordingly, they contain, for example, hazardous chemicals that can cause a so-called popcorn lung.
British Medical Association publishes 200-page report
The British medical association "Royal College of Physicians" (RCP) from London has now clearly positioned itself on the side of the advocates. As the 200-page Nicotine without smoke: tobacco harm reduction report suggests, e-cigarettes are likely to be beneficial to public health in the United Kingdom (UK). Smokers could therefore be safe, according to a statement from the RCP, and would be encouraged to use the electric glow sticks. The public is also assured that they are much safer than conventional smoking.
Accordingly, since e-cigarettes were launched in the UK in 2007, the use of medical and public controversy has been accompanied. The new report therefore examines the science, policies, regulations and ethical issues surrounding e-cigarettes and other non-tobacco sources of nicotine and provides conclusions based on the latest available evidence, according to the RCP. The report concerns a large proportion of the population in the UK, as epidemiologist John Britton and his colleagues write in the British Medical Journal, where 2.6 million people consume e-cigarettes. Overall, the number of smokers is just under nine million, the researchers said in their summary of the RCP report.
Health risk low compared to tobacco consumption
Almost all of the e-cigarette users are therefore smoker or ex-smoker. In addition, surveys among British teenagers had shown that the electrical appliances were almost exclusively used only by those who had previously had experience with smoking. Accordingly, there is no evidence that e-cigarettes would increase the number of smokers, the researchers summarize.
Also go from the electrical alternative, a significantly lower risk for the user. Although these are probably not harmless and could be used in long-term use e.g. increase the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer or possibly cardiovascular disease. "However, the magnitude of this risk is likely to be very small compared to tobacco smoking," the authors said. Thus, the potential damage from inhaling the vapor is unlikely to reach nearly five percent of that caused by smoking.
"E-cigarettes and other non-tobacco nicotine products have the potential to radically reduce the harm that comes from smoking in our society. This is an opportunity that should be taken in hand and used, "the researchers conclude in the British Medical Journal. The electric glow sticks would provide smokers with a viable alternative and would have a positive effect on both individuals and society, the authors said.
Warnings about new lifestyle product
The report of the British Association of Physicians stands in clear contrast to many opinions of local experts. The German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg (DKFZ), for example, warns against the use of electric glow sticks and views them as a new "lifestyle product" that adolescents may make the "real" smoking tasty, reports "Spiegel online" ... "We urge caution", Katrin Schaller, tobacco expert at the DKFZ, is quoted here. Because it is not clear whether the supposedly harmless alternative to the cigarette does not sooner or later seduce tobacco smoking. For smokers, however, steaming could possibly be a sensible alternative, Schaller admits. "But they are not suitable for non-smokers and teenagers," emphasizes the expert.
No more sales to children and adolescents
This opinion is also the legislature in this country, because since April 1, 2016 e-shishas and e-cigarettes may no longer be sold to children and adolescents. The ban also applies to the mail order business and employers are now prohibited from passing on tobacco products or electronic cigarettes to adolescents. The amendment to the Youth Protection Act was justified, among other things, by the fact that children and adolescents must be protected against possible damage. In addition, with regard to young consumers, it was emphasized that use quickly led them to switch to nicotine-containing e-cigarettes or conventional cigarettes. (No)