Emphysema Lung - Serious Yuckage.
Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Public Health polled 81 users and former users of the devices, finding that although the majority was happy with them, several concerns remain unaddressed. [...]
Almost all of the respondents (95%) had found e-cigarettes at least somewhat helpful to stop smoking. However, users were concerned about potential toxicity. Poor quality, lack of reliability and frequent failures were also mentioned by several of the people surveyed.
That’s some pretty impressive feedback. I don’t personally smoke, but I could see how being better able to control your dose could help. Then again, because e-cigarettes are generally cheaper than a pack of cigs I might imagine that it could potentially increase the amount of smoking (conceivably).
Though, anecdotally, a lot of forums seem to suggest that in practice this often isn’t what happens (thankfully) — obligatory forum comments:
“My way of quitting is changing. And I think that I can do that with the e-cig.
I love mine. I have gone from 5 packs per week to maybe 2-3. I did it without the cravings, without “needing” something. I hope to be completely tobacco cigarette free soon. And eventually I want to get down to nicotine free cartridges.” [...]
“I’ve been tobacco-free for four months with my “e-cig”. These are a blessing to nicotine addicts. No fire, no smoke, no smell. I feel great, no longer cough in the morning.”
It’s important to note e-Cigarettes aren’t approved as “smoking cessation devices.” Most of the forum threads I’m reading seem to suggest that it reduced how “winded they are,” coughing, and being able to cut their dosage a bit. I think the logic is there — after all, if you did switch to e-cigarettes from regular tobacco you’re at least cutting back on a large portion of the chemicals even if you are still inhaling nicotine. Nicotine, however, itself is still carcinogenic. Most people seem to suggest that they were able to immediately switch from burning to the e-cigarette method over night, which while probably still a step in the right direction, is still maintaining a health damaging habit.
Unfortunately, there is some legal ambiguity on the front for e-Cigarettes. Hopefully we’ll see solid research instead of a swift ban.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
You stated “Nicotine, however, itself is still carcinogenic. ”
I beg to differ. Please see this Video with Dr David Baron, Chief of staff, Santa Monica Hospital:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRr8KubdhCA
and for E-cigarette facts see this site:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=114160901951327
All the facts here are documented so you can go directly to the references.
These devices have the potential to save millions of lives. I present these links so you can become more firmly informed.
Thank you
I don’t believe nicotine is carcinogenic, do you have any evidence of that claim?
My understanding is that it’s pretty benign compared with the other chemicals in smoke.
To tell you the truth, I was pretty sure I’d seen studies that nicotine itself specifically causes cancer. But, looking back I now realize this may have been an inference (which I would have stated specifically, had I realized it). I need to take a moment and read through everything you linked to me, Harry, and even after that I’m likely to do more pubmed scrounging. It’s unfortunately difficult to search for studies that exclusively involve nicotine because up until recently it was irrelevant — there wasn’t a way to conveniently ingest/inhale nicotine without the other substances in tobacco.
However, I did scrounge up this bookmark…
http://ajpheart.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/292/1/H76
This study asserts that nicotine itself is a likely source for renal injury. That really doesn’t address what your comment was about since you’re speaking of nicotine and cancer specifically, however.
I’ll read into it. Thanks for the links.
As you say, it’s very difficult to find reliable studies about nicotine that don’t use smoke delivery.
This might be of interest:
“… For the first time we report the effect on the rat of long-term (two years) inhalation of nicotine. The rats breathed in a chamber with nicotine at a concentration giving twice the plasma concentration found in heavy smokers. Nicotine was given for 20 h a day, five days a week during a two-year period. We could not find any increase in mortality, in atherosclerosis or frequency of tumors in these rats compared with controls. Particularly, there was no microscopic or macroscopic lung tumors nor any increase in pulmonary neuroendocrine cells. Throughout the study, however, the body weight of the nicotine exposed rats was reduced as compared with controls. In conclusion, our study does not indicate any harmful effect of nicotine when given in its pure form by inhalation.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8614291
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing, and in particular, highlighting the relevant parts. I’ll be returning to this later.
Neurofreak:
First, I’m a layman ( Closest I ever came to the medical field was designing some medical test equipment years ago as an electronics engineer) and although I read your link, it was mostly gibberish for me, although I understood the discussion at the end.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am NOT saying that the e-cig is totally, and unequivocally safe. It is my opinion that it is ‘safer’ than the cigarettes I have been hooked on most of my life.
My stance as a 45 year, 3 pack a day smoker is that for those of us who cannot or will not give up smoking the e-cig is a far safer method for getting our ‘fix’. And I can breath again, have reduced my use of inhalers for my emphysema, and my overall health has improved in just 3 months.
1. It eliminates tars in total ( no combustion) and has no CO, arsenic and some 4000 other chemicals.
2. Reduces carcinogens to levels comparable to the FDA approved patch and gum. (even pure nicotine is reduced from tobacco and some carcinogens come along for the ride. We’re talking about 8ng compared to 1100 ng for Marlboros.)
3. Gives me a ‘toy’ to play with and satisfy my 45 year hand to mouth habits, and gives me some pretty vapor to resemble the smoke I am used to seeing.
And I really like my butterscotch flavor. LOL
Harry
Here’s another one, Neuro
“Discussion: Although the surveillance time was short, smoking predicted cancer in this analysis and nicotine replacement therapy did not.”
http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/9/1076
Simply amazing. It far exceeds all of my expectations. It is the most pleasurable smoking experience I have ever had. By switching to E-cigs, the only things I’m giving up are the things that made me want to quit in the first place. No more standing outside in the freezing cold, no more holes burnt into my clothing, no more stinky ashtrays or bothersome butts. Wow, I think I’m in love.