Safe e-cigarettes? Too good to be true

They are known as electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, also vaporizers or just vapes. They are electronic vaporization systems that turn a nicotine solution into a fine, heated mist. Users puff on them like a regular cigarette, and within a few seconds, the nicotine reaches the brain, giving the smoker a “hit” of the stimulant.

First developed in China in 2004, e-cigarettes are rapidly gaining popularity.  Manufacturers claim e-cigarettes are a safe alternative and an effective treatment for those trying to quit smoking.

These claims are another smokescreen.

Inhalation is the quickest way to deliver highly addictive and harmful nicotine to the brain. Nicotine then causes, among other things, blood vessels to constrict, which can trigger a heart attack or a stroke.

Unlike licensed forms of nicotine replacement therapy, nicotine inhaled through the e-cigarette is unmetered. The dosage is uncontrolled.

What’s more, that same vapor also may carry many other chemicals that manufacturers have not disclosed fully.

Studies show that effective smokin g cessation requires behavior modification: smokers must break the habit of lighting up and puffing. E-cigarettes merely mimic the act of smoking, which makes it harder to change the behavior.

In a 2010 consultation with international experts and regulators, the World Health Organization reviewed studies on e-cigarettes and concluded that insufficient scientific evidence exists to prove the safety, efficacy and quality of electronic cigarettes.

WHO urges governments to regulate e-cigarettes accordingly, in light of the fact that no scientific evidence supports the claims of manufacturers. Governments should take action before widespread marketing can undermine public health gains on smoking and nicotine.

E-cigarettes may make smoking look glamorous again. The notion of a non-toxic alternative to cigarettes may entice young people to consume a potentially dangerous, addictive nicotine product that can be a gateway to smoking tobacco cigarettes.

As the market for e-cigarettes grows, they likely will become more affordable than regular cigarettes. That’s probably why tobacco companies are investing heavily in e-cigarettes.

Recently, Altria Group, owner of Philip Morris USA — the maker of Marlboro, Virginia Slims and Benson & Hedges cigarettes — unveiled an e-cigarette. Last year, Lorillard Inc., which markets Old Gold and Kent in the United States of America, acquired e-cigarette manufacturer Blu e-cigarettes.

These are the same tobacco companies that for decades denied that smoking causes cancer. They used all manner of subterfuge to stymie measures to protect people from the harms of tobacco.

Now these companies say they are moving into what is supposedly a safe product line. A safe cigarette brought to you by Big Tobacco? That really is too good to be true.

(Dr Shin Young-soo is the World Health Organization Regional Director for the Western Pacific.)