Can e-cigarettes be an alternative to conventional cigarettes? Electric cigarettes are advertised as healthier, as a means of quitting smoking or even as a non-smoking cigarette. But are they really “healthy smoking”? Where are the benefits of “vaping” and where are the risks of e-cigarettes? Find out more here!
Where does the e-cigarette come from?
The fact that smoking is unhealthy has now penetrated the global consciousness: Lawsuits in the U.S., in which smokers sued cigarette manufacturers for millions of dollars in damages, were gradually followed by laws protecting non-smokers in Europe as well. In 2004, Chinese companies rediscovered an idea that had already failed at the end of the 1980s: the tobacco company R. J. Reynolds launched a “smoke-free” cigarette on the market in 1989, which in reality only produced less smoke than a conventional cigarette. The idea flopped across the board. Clearly more successful has been the sale of the electronic cigarette, also known as the e-cigarette, for several years.
What are e-cigarettes?
The manufacturers of the electric cigarette propagate the breakthrough in smoking cessation. The difference between regular and electronic cigarette is simple: instead of burning tobacco and the 70 carcinogenic or harmful ingredients it contains, nicotine is vaporized. Thus, no tobacco smoke is produced; rather, an e-cigarette smoker inhales a liquid (liquid) that, in addition to nicotine and water, also contains glycerin and propylene glycol as well as artificial flavors and, moreover, often preservatives. The liquid of the electronic cigarette is in a replaceable capsule and is distributed by an atomizer in the mouthpiece. Each puff on the electronic cigarette activates a heating element that causes the nicotine liquid to vaporize. In order to make the electronic cigarette look as real as possible, some e-cigarettes additionally light up a small LED lamp that mimics the glow of a cigarette, just like a real glow stick. This smokeless cigarette is charged with a rechargeable battery.
Electronic cigarette for smoking cessation?
Supposedly, the electric cigarette is the miracle cure for anyone who wants to quit smoking. The manufacturers let proclaim that the nicotine dose can be reduced more and more, so that sometimes even the speech of the “non-smoking cigarette” is. Some sales companies even claim that the electric cigarette is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a means of quitting smoking. The WHO, on the other hand, not only denied this statement, it also clarified its position that there are far from sufficient studies on the electric cigarette. Experts even warn that the electronic cigarette is more likely to tempt people to smoke than to free them from nicotine addiction. Children and young people in particular, but also non-smokers or occasional smokers, are lured by flavors such as apple and chocolate – in reality, this only makes it easier to start using real cigarettes. In addition, the nicotine reaches the brain via the electronic cigarette almost as quickly as with conventional cigarettes. This means that the electronic cigarette also has a high addiction potential. A large-scale comparison of more than 800 studies by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found clear evidence that e-cigarettes can entice adolescents and young adults to smoke, and that they are then more likely to reach for conventional cigarettes as well.
Smoke-free smoking = healthy smoking?
In Germany, the electronic cigarette is mostly available through online stores. The providers often explain that the electronic cigarette contains only some harmless flavors in addition to nicotine. That this is not so, chemists of the US Food and Drug Administration found out. Among the undisclosed pollutants, one case included the chemical diethylene glycol, also used as an antifreeze, which was contained in the gas of a cartridge. In addition, the scientists detected carcinogenic nitrosamines in half of the products examined, as well as other potentially harmful substances in a majority of the cases. While experts suspect that the electric cigarette is indeed less harmful than the regular one, there are not many comprehensive studies yet.A British study concludes that long-term use of e-cigarettes is significantly less harmful to health than long-term use of conventional cigarettes. This is also confirmed by a study from Public Health England, which found e-cigarettes to be 95 percent less harmful.
Risk of atherosclerosis not lower
A study by the University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein was able to show that the “more effective” nicotine intake when smoking e-cigarettes actually increases some of their side effects compared with conventional cigarettes. In the study, after smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette, systolic blood pressure rose for a duration of 45 minutes in the study participants, while this was the case for only 15 minutes after smoking a conventional cigarette. Heart rate was also elevated for longer after the nicotine-containing e-cigarette. Both side effects are considered accelerating factors for the development of atherosclerosis.
Legal exemptions for electronic cigarettes?
E-cigarettes containing nicotine have been subject to the regulations of the Tobacco Products Act in Germany since May 20, 2016. However, they are not subject to the state’s Federal Non-Smoker Protection Act. The design of the Non-Smoker Protection Act is a matter for the federal states. Therefore, in some federal states, the same prohibitions apply to e-cigarettes as to normal cigarettes, while in other federal states there are fewer restrictions. In principle, a maximum dose of 20 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of liquid applies to liquids. A liquid may only contain a maximum of 10 milliliters. Refill containers may also hold a maximum of 10 milliliters. Additives such as caffeine or vitamins that suggest a health benefit are not permitted. Since the tobacco is not burned but vaporized, no tobacco tax is incurred (which in fact makes the electric cigarette cheaper). However, under the Youth Protection Act, e-cigarettes are prohibited from being sold to young people under the age of 18. In reality, opinions differ: while some airlines, for example, offer the electric cigarette themselves on their flights, “smoke-free smoking” is strictly prohibited by other airlines. Similarly unresolved is the question of whether the electric cigarette is a drug for smoking cessation.
Electric cigarette: side effects
In addition to the not clearly known substances that enter the body through the electric cigarette and are possibly released by it again, e-steamers also complain from time to time of headaches or dizziness. Especially the new start is not easy for many smokers in terms of dosage. Although some Chinese manufacturers are gradually making efforts to conduct clinical studies on e-cigarettes, no statements can yet be made, particularly with regard to the long-term effect. In Germany, the electric cigarette is still deliberately not advertised as a means of smoking cessation. Although possession and use are largely permitted in Europe, countries such as Austria, Switzerland, Finland, and Turkey have banned trade and brokering, or have allowed it only to pharmacies in the context of drug prescriptions. Whether the federal government will take a clear position on the electric cigarette remains to be seen.
