E-cigarettes are not a simple cure all
Between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, several types of cancer, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, stroke and even cataracts, diseases contracted from cigarette smoking are the single most preventable cause of death in the United States and are some of the top players in the worldwide death rate.
Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths, and is even responsible for a varied array of cancers such as kidney, pancreatic, cervical, esophageal and even bladder cancer. Reading such facts used to make me wonder – if smoking is so bad, what are we doing to combat it? How are we helping those who are addicted and ill, or those that may become smokers?
Researchers across the world are all working furiously for new ways to combat cancer and stop addiction. Groups such as “Smoke-Free America” utilize the media to spread facts about smoking in an attempt to educate smokers and non-smokers alike about dangers of tobacco. Some companies have invented quitting aids that provide the user with a nicotine fix without the harmful effects of a cigarette in the form of gum, patches and even pills.
Recently, a new cigarette replacement has arrived in the form of the “e-Cigarette” a battery powered nicotine delivery system that effectively mimics the look, operation and even taste of a real cigarette. The operation is simple: it’s a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vapor of mixed propylene glycol and nicotine.
In addition to providing the user with nicotine, it also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of real tobacco smoke, while no tobacco, smoke or combustion is actually present when the smoker “lights up.” Sounds like a great alternative, right?
Let’s recap: The “E-Cigarette” satisfies all the needs of a smoker, without actually smoking. No cigarette smoke leads to no health woes, right?
At first, it seems like a safe alternative to smoking. After all, it is seemingly advertised as the “family-friendly” cigarette, and with no more disposable cigarette butts, these could contribute a great deal to lessening the pollution of the planet. However, could the inventors of this new drug truly be so altruistic?
With an average price tag of just over $100, the makers seem to be after more than just lending a helping hand to struggling victims of cigarette addiction and the cleanliness of city streets everywhere. As history tells us, where there is money to be made, there are also corners to be cut. So I wondered just what the health effects, adverse or no, could these new cigarettes present?
Evidently, they present enough of a worry for the Food and Drug Administration to block all importation into the United States. Though they are refraining from confiscating the e-cigs already sold in the country, the FDA says that they are “undecided” when it comes to determining just how bad (or good) they are.
As it would seem, no one really has any clue what the effects of the new drug could be, other than the makers of the e-cigs themselves, and they aren’t talking.
Supposed tests and research conducted at labs in Europe have given the makers proof enough to claim they are “pretty sure” that the e-cigarettes are safe, but have refused to release research data.
So what about the millions of smokers worldwide waiting for a miracle savior from addiction and the many more who want to try smoking? They’ll have to either try it for themselves or wait patiently.
Ultimately, here’s my diagnosis: dangerous. When there is such a lack of information about anything, it is rarely a good idea to take part in it.
