Are electronic cigarettes really bad for you?
They’re the the latest craze. Electronic cigarettes are being touted as the future of smoking, providing smokers with a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes as well as a cost effective solution to beat the rising prices of cigarettes due to overblown taxes. But are they really safe?
The media has had a field day since the general public have become more aware of electric cigarettes. Katherine Heigl was seen ‘vaping’ (the act of smoking an electronic cigarette) on ‘The Late Show With David Letterman’ and more recently Johnny Depp was seen puffing away in the Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Tourist’. It seems that the more publicity e cigarettes receive the more the media sensationalise their ‘harmful effects’.
So let’s take a look at these supposed ‘harmful effects’.
In 2009 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette cartridge samples had found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze. They warned consumers to be wary of switching to electronic cigarettes because they were concerned that the industry was not being correctly regulated and that the chemicals in ecigs were largely unknown. They did not however, release a detailed list of their findings.
Traditional cigarettes (which have been proven to contain thousands of harmful chemicals) are still available for sale in grocery stores, service stations, tobacconists – almost everywhere. Why?
In October 2008 the original manufacturer of electronic cigarettes, Ruyan Group Limited, sponsored research conducted by Health New Zealand (NNZ) to study the safety and toxicity of its product. Their “Safety Report on the Ruyan® e-cigarette Cartridge and Inhaled Aerosol” concluded that:
“Ruyan® e-cigarette is designed to be a safe alternative to smoking. The various test results confirm this is the case. It is very safe relative to cigarettes, and also safe in absolute terms on all measurements we have applied.”
Which begs one question. Why are government agencies focusing all of their attention on banning electronic cigarettes when they are still allowing the sale of a proven killer – regular cigarettes. Smoking causes 90% of lung cancer cases in men and almost 80% in women. It claims the lives of around 400,000 people per year yet it is still on the market. Why? Because the government is making a killing. Literally.
The sale of traditional cigarettes in Australia raises billions of dollars per year in revenue for the government. If electronic cigarettes were to become a serious alternative to traditional cigarettes the government would be massively out of pocket. Thus their reluctance to do any kind of in depth testing.
Let’s look at the benefits of switching to electronic cigarettes.
If the FDA is correct that there are trace amounts of diethylene glycol in ecig cartridges, that is only one harmful chemical that has been discovered. Traditional cigarettes contain over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds and 400 other toxins. These include tar and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT.
Many who have made the switch to electronic cigarettes claim that they have seen an increase in their fitness and health levels. Others claim that they have used electronic cigarettes to give up traditional cigarettes entirely. Some just prefer the taste and the freedom to smoke wherever they please.
Whatever the case, it hardly seems fair to ban electronic cigarettes while traditional cigarettes are still available on the market. I highly doubt we will see a decline in the bad press and bans any time soon. As long as the tobacco companies and government are able to make their killing, they will. And sadly, better alternatives such as ecigs will fall by the wayside.
Basically, the choice is yours. As long as the government allows it.
Do your research and make your own decision. But it is difficult to ignore the obvious benefits of vaping, and switching from traditional cigarettes to electronic cigarettes may just save your life.
To make the switch today, visit http://www.ivaporize.com.au and find the highest quality and most cost effective ecig starter kits on the market.
Luke Shield is an Australian Vaper who has been smoking electronic cigarettes for some time. He runs his own business at http://www.ivaporize.com.au promoting the benefits of switching from traditional cigarettes to ecigs, and provides smokers with a healthy alternative to regular smoking smoking.
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