E-cigarettes have gained popularity, especially among young users, and it has seen an increase of 900 percent. E-cigarettes are marketed as a healthy substitute for cigarettes, but are they really safe? Before analyzing their safety, let us see how these e-cigarettes actually work.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that use liquid nicotine and vaporize it to emulate the delivery of nicotine and sensation of smoking. In addition to liquid nicotine, they use flavoring and atomizers. Following are the pros and cons of e-cigarettes, and they can help you decide if it is a good choice for you.
Pros of E-Cigarettes
- A 2017 research funded by Cancer Research UK found that people who switched completely to e-cigarettes had far less carcinogens in their bodies as compared to the people who continued smoking. The study concluded that the risk associated with e-cigarettes is very low.
- E-Cigarettes contain nicotine but lack tar, carbon monoxide, and many other harmful substances present in cigarettes. Nicotine itself is not harmful, especially in moderate quantity.
Cons of E-Cigarettes
- The studies concerning the safety of e-cigarettes are very few and we do not know the true effects of its use.
- E-cigarettes have shown little utility in smoking cessation.
- E-cigarettes cause a significant level of DNA damage to the lungs.
- E-cigarettes can increase nicotine addiction and people may end up taking more nicotine than they used to with smoking.
In addition to the above disadvantages, e-cigarettes tend to convert many non-addicts to addicts. This is a very dangerous situation as such people might end up being smokers. Instead of e-cigarettes, nicotine patches and nicotine gums are better substitutes.
Furthermore, the pros and cons of e-cigarettes are not properly known. It is probable that the harmful effects of this delivery method, as well as the flavors used in e-cigarettes, are far more than currently known.