Are electronic cigarettes all that they’re made out to be? They certainly offer a safer alternative to smoking a traditional cigarette made out of tobacco. But is it safe enough?
When you look deeper into the matter, there are certain aspects of smoking, e-cigarettes that have not yet been adequately researched and that pose certain dubious questions. So before you make up your mind about the wisdom of choosing the e-cigarette instead of the t-cigarette, (tobacco cigarette), we ought to take a closer look at some of the possible downsides, in order to help you to be able to make a more informed decision.
We all know how bad smoking is for your health
I don’t think they’ll be hardly anybody who reads this article doesn’t realise how bad smoking is for them; especially those of us who follow a holistic health lifestyle. But is it really worth swapping one bad habit for another habit; a habit that is admittedly not quite so bad, but still, nonetheless, a habit; a crutch in actual fact that could simply prevent you from effectively giving up smoking altogether!
E-cigarettes produce nicotine vapor
You’ve only got to take a look inside an E-cigarette to see that they’re radically different from a traditional cigarette. Instead of the shredded leaf tobacco, they’ve got a mechanism inside them designed to heat up liquid nicotine, which is then turned into a vapor that the smoker inhales.
Awaiting proper research
According to the manufacturers, (and indeed many satisfied customers) they are saying that nicotine vapor has certain advantages over tobacco cigarette smoke. However, when it comes down to the crunch, certain regulatory agencies, and indeed some health experts too, aren’t quite so sure. Questions are now being asked about the possible side-effects of taking in nicotine vapor, and in addition about some other possible health risks that the new e-cigarettes may pose. Some people are saying that E-cigarettes should actually be made illegal until further and proper research has been conducted to prove how safe they really are!
There have been recent preliminary investigations into whether e-cigarettes are in fact healthier than cigarettes. One study, conducted by Dr Magnus Lundback of Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet in December 2016, found that e-cigarettes that contain nicotine may increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks [1]. The study took 15 volunteers who’d never used e-cigarettes before for the experiment. They were split into two groups, one with e-cigarettes containing nicotine, and one without. The tests revealed an increase in blood pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness 30 minutes after using e-cigarettes containing nicotine. The test results of those who’d used e-cigarettes without nicotine reported no such effects.
No age restrictions on the purchase of e-cigarettes
One of the points being made is that because E-cigarettes don’t contain any actual tobacco, they are not subject to US tobacco rules, i.e. those rules governed by the FDA (the US Drug and Food Administration. Because of this e-cigarettes can be purchased by anyone, regardless of age.
Is it permissible to smoke e-cigarettes anywhere?
People are concerned that E-cigarettes could be attractive to young kids, which would still encourage nicotine addiction in young people. The problem is that the manufacturers of E-cigarette are advertising that they are cigarettes that can be smoked anywhere. In the meantime, however, various regulatory agencies from all over the world are in the process of taking a closer look into these electronic substitutes, with a view to perhaps introducing certain restrictions as to their use.
Saving money
Smokers that have switched to e-cigarettes are all in favor of the new gadgets. They believe them to be safer, and also, of course, they are a lot cheaper, so they save themselves money. But all may not be quite what it seems.
Whilst the manufacturers of E-cigarettes are quick to shout from the rooftops that E-ciggies are a safer alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes, they do not actually make any specific health and safety statements about their own products. This needs to be addressed.
Worry # 1 – The unknown risks of inhaling neat nicotine vapor
But the major concern of both health experts and the FDA is that nobody fully understands the risks and/or side-effects of inhaling pure nicotine. In other words, the risks are unknown.
Another worrying fact is that e-cigarette manufacturers often don’t disclose enough detail about the chemical ingredients that their products contain. This means that in many instances, the amount of nicotine that is shown on the label of the cartridge may not actually, accurately portray how much nicotine there is inside the cartridge itself.
Worry # 2 – The variance of nicotine content
The amount of nicotine that an e-cigarette nicotine cartridge contains varies from product to product. In some instances it is the same as a light cigarette. In other instances it may be the same as an ultra-light cigarette. Some cartridges actually contain no nicotine at all. This is so that smokers can experiment to experience the outcome of smoking without inhaling nicotine.
However in some instances cartridges can actually contain more than nicotine than a traditional tobacco cigarettes!
Worry # 3 – Unrestricted online sales
Because of the lack of restrictions, e-cigarettes can be easily purchased online. This makes them easily accessible to anyone of any age, but obviously the worrying factor is their availability to young children.
Worry # 4 – Attractive to kids
Although e-cigarette manufacturers do not overtly and directly market their product to young children, e-ciggies do however come in a range of flavors that are likely to appeal to kids; flavors such as caramel, chocolate, strawberry and – wait for it – bubblegum!
Not only that, but some celebrities are seen using them in films, and on TV; for example, Johnny Depp in the film “The Tourist” and Catherine Heigl/David Letterman in “Grey’s Anatomy”. We all know how kids like to emulate their peers, so these examples are not good news, and given the fact that there are no age restrictions on the sale of e-cigarettes, it doesn’t bode well.
Worry # 5 – Cheaper but not inexpensive
Although those who have switched to e-cigarettes claim that one of the attractions is that they are cheap, that’s not exactly true. To purchase a starter pack containing an e-cigarette device, complete with battery and several cartridges, can cost somewhere between $60 and $150. On top of that, a pack containing five cartridges (one cartridge equals approximately 20 cigarettes) costs about $10. They can however be bought in bulk to reduce the price.
Worry # 6 – Ongoing maintenance issues
There is an ongoing maintenance issue with e-cigarettes too. The batteries that they contain have to be regularly charged, and many smokers are complaining that they have to replace the batteries rather more frequently than they’d anticipated; although in all fairness this could be down to the quality of the product that they purchase.
Also, rather than just buying a new pack of cartridges when the nicotine liquid has all been used, smokers do have the option of buying liquid nicotine in bulk, which is both greener, and cheaper.
Worry # 7 – Not FDA approved
The FDA is there for a purpose, and in general terms that purpose is to look after the health of the US public. The fact of the matter is that e-cigarettes are not approved by the FDA; in fact, they have in the past seized shipments of these devices. However, because they are not officially contraband, a court ruled that the seizure was illegal.
Worry # 8 – E-smoking in public
E-cigarette manufacturers promote the fact that because their products do not produce second-hand smoke, they can be smoked in public places without any health risks to others. But health and safety experts are saying that these claims are not based on fact, because e-cigarette themselves have not yet been adequately tested. In actual fact, some countries, including Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico have banned their sale. Of the other countries that permit their sale, some are in the process of legislating where they can and can’t be smoked.
Worry # 9 – E-cigarettes produce second-hand vapor
Whilst it’s true that the cigarettes do not produce second-hand smoke, they do however produce second-hand vapor. The manufacturers maintain that this is water vapor and therefore harmless. However, the regulatory agencies and health experts are saying that because the manufacturers have not conducted appropriate research, this may not prove to be the case. In fact, some people with certain health conditions have said that second-hand vapor actually causes irritation to their eyes, noses and throats, and makes their breathing more difficult. It’s another pointer that indicates to the fact that proper research needs to be carried out.
It isn’t natural
Anyone who follows a holistic health lifestyle, either has never smoked, or has by now given it up. Holistic health and smoking tobacco just don’t make good bedfellows. If any of you have gone over to smoking e-cigarettes, then perhaps, in light of some of the issues we highlight here in this article, you might need to rethink your strategy. Let’s face it, in the final analysis inhaling anything, whether it’s tobacco smoke or nicotine vapor just isn’t natural.
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