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(Unsplash, 2019)
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Styliani Triantafyllidou, 2nd year student at the School of International Medicine of
University of Naples Federico II in Italy, but comes to the origin of Greece. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), a cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this document belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of IFMSA on the subject, nor that of European Sting.
An increasing number of people have started to smoke electronic cigarettes in recent years. As a result, a new conflict is created about smoking. Is vapor better than smoking?
On one side, there are people who argue that the use of electronic cigarettes makes smoking cessation easier. But, at least for the moment, this argument lacks scientific evidence and vaping is not an FDA approved method of quitting smoking.
In addition, the fact that electronic cigarettes do not contain tobacco leads some people to think that vaping is less harmful. Public Health England supports this view that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking.
On the other hand, it is necessary to mention that the aerosol of electronic cigarette is harmful because, based on CDC, it contains carcinogenic chemicals, which means that even if electronic cigarettes are safer than traditional cigarettes, they are always dangerous for health.
In addition, the liquid of the electronic cigarette can cause intoxication because electronic cigarettes generally contain higher levels of nicotine than other nicotine products. In fact, emergency cases of children who have swallowed electronic cigarette fluid and become ill have been reported. The candy and fruit flavors of electronic cigarettes, which target teenagers who might find tobacco more attractive, are also of concern, which increases the risk of starting to smoke.
In order to determine whether vaping is a safer alternative to smoking, we need more data on electronic cigarettes. However, we know that both traditional and electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can cause health problems.
We must not forget that the goal is to adopt behaviors beneficial to our health, without compromising a less harmful product! The goal is to prevent people from smoking and not to try to turn smoking into something "healthier".
References
National Institute for Combating Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; US Department of Health and Human Services
National Poison Data System, American Association of Poison Centers
Office of Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
About the author
Styliani Triantafyllidou is a 2nd year student at the School of International Medical
University of Naples Federico II in Italy, but comes to the origin of Greece. She joined
International Federation of Medical Student Associations this year. She is
Pbadionate about science, she reads in her spare time.
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