What are electronic cigarettes and are they safe? | E-cigarettes

E-cigarettes are expected to be prescribed by the NHS as part of the government’s announced plans to curb smoking. How do these devices work, how safe are they and what is the debate around them?

What are electronic cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes are now commonplace. According to the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), 7.1% of adults in Britain use e-cigarettes, which equates to around 3.6 million people. The devices work by heating a liquid to produce a vapor which is inhaled. This liquid usually contains nicotine as well as other components such as propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and flavors. There are a variety of styles on offer, from those that look like cigarettes to ‘pod vapes’ which look a bit like a voice recorder and contain a rechargeable battery and a ‘pod’ with a reservoir, mouthpiece and coil filled with liquid. .

Are they safe?

In the UK, at least, the answer is “roughly”. The key point is that electronic cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide – which can cause lung disease and cancer – and therefore are much safer than cigarettes. And, as the NHS notes, while nicotine is addictive, it is relatively harmless; it is already used in many other products, such as patches and nicotine gum, to help people quit smoking.

The NHS says electronic cigarettes aren’t completely risk-free, however. “The liquid and vapor contain potentially harmful chemicals that are also found in cigarette smoke.” But these chemicals are found at much lower levels in electronic cigarettes, he says.

Electronic cigarettes have not been without controversy. In 2019, 2,500 cases of lung disease and 55 deaths in the United States were associated with vaping – although it later emerged that this was likely due to people using e-cigarettes containing THC from cannabis, the chemical that gives cannabis users a high, as well as vitamin E acetate.

Another concern is whether young people and others who have never smoked become addicted to e-cigarettes, an issue that has prompted many experts in the United States to speak out against these devices. Tobacco manufacturers have also started to create the devices, making some experts reluctant to support them.

But UK experts said smoking and vaping here is regulated much more strictly than in the United States, given the rules on advertising, age, health warnings, and the lower levels of nicotine in products. They say the devices are an important and safe tool to help people quit, which is much more dangerous.

ASH figures suggest that less than 5% of e-cigarette users have never smoked. The largest group of e-cigarette users – at 64.6% – are former smokers. “As in previous years, the main reason cited by ex-smokers for vaping is to help them quit (36%) and then to prevent relapses (20%),” says ASH.

What do British experts think of the government’s announcement?

The decision to make e-cigarettes available on the NHS has been widely welcomed. Professor Alan Boobis, professor emeritus of toxicology at Imperial College London and chairman of the UK Committee on Toxicity, said smokers can already buy e-cigarettes to try and quit. But he added: “Licensed vaping products will have to meet a standard set by the drug regulator, the MHRA, and in return, they will be available for clinicians to prescribe to their patients, which will be a step forward. before important. “

Professor Linda Bauld, Bruce and John Usher Chair of Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, said the announcement was great news, noting that smoking remains the leading preventable cause of health inequalities, and that up to a third of smokers in the UK had not tried the devices.

“Smokers are concerned about safety and misperceptions about the relative risks of electronic cigarettes versus tobacco. For some, the cost is also seen as a barrier, ”she said. “The option of having approved devices that could be prescribed would reassure smokers about the relative risks and would also help reach those who can least afford e-cigarettes.”

However, Professor Peter Hajek, director of the tobacco addiction research unit at Queen Mary University in London, said that while there were potential benefits, there were other considerations. “Smokers are more likely to benefit from e-cigarettes if they can select the flavors, strengths and products they like, rather than limiting themselves to whatever becomes allowed. Nor does it seem necessary for the NHS to pay for something smokers are happy to buy themselves. “