E-cigarettes seem like a good method when you want to quit smoking, but are they safe? Many people wonder if e-cigarettes are really less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Polish scientists have concluded that both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes are harmful, but electronic ones are much less harmful. But is the e-cigarette really safe?

E-cigarettes , according to prof. Andrzej Sobczak from the Department of Chemical Harmfulness and Genetic Toxicology of the Institute of Occupational Medicine and Environmental He alth in Sosnowiec, are definitelyless harmful than traditional cigarettes , which does not mean that they are he althy.

E-cigarettes versus traditional cigarettes: the amount of harmful substances

A traditional cigarette has over 5600 different chemical compounds, including over 400 extremely harmful to he alth. An e-cigarette, or actually a liquid that is evaporated during smoking, contains nicotine, water, propylene glycol or glycerin or a mixture of these compounds, as well as from a few to a dozen or so flavors with approvals for use in cosmetics and food products. Out of this, traces of maybe ten of them are harmful. - There are many relationships in a traditional cigarette - says prof. Sobczak. - For example, carbon monoxide, which converts hemoglobin into carboxyhemoglobin, hindering the respiratory process and the functioning of the cardiovascular system. There is no such thing in an electronic cigarette. It is much safer for he alth than a conventional cigarette.

E-cigarette and the cardiovascular system

The influence of e-cigarettes on the cardiovascular system is investigated by Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos from Greece. His research, presented at the European Congress of Cardiology, shows that electronic cigarettes, at least at first glance, do not harm the heart. His team measured blood pressure, pulse, and echo of the heart in two groups of study participants. They were all smokers, but some smoked only electronic cigarettes for at least three months. It found that e-cigarette smokers fell out like non-smokers, leaving traditional smokers far behind. At the European convention of cardiologists in Munich, Dr.Farsalinos said studies show that there are no differences in hemodynamic parameters between non-smokers and e-cigarette users. There is, however, a huge he alth difference between smokers of traditional cigarettes and people who use e-cigarettes - in favor of the latter.

E-cigarette and glycol inhalation

The possible effects of daily, long-term inhalation of propylene glycol and glycerin are a separate issue. Prof. Riccardo Polosa, director of the Institute of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology at the University of Catania in Italy, found no side effects other than a temporary dry throat and cough or an allergic reaction to glycol. Glycol is safe and thoroughly tested - after all, it is used, among others, in as a carrier of inhaled drugs administered after lung transplants. However, for e-cigarettes, glycol dosages are higher, consumed in large amounts, often and over a long period of time. Laboratory tests are not enough here - it's hard to say what will turn out in 20-30 years.

E-cigarette and secondhand smoke

Many people are afraid that the e-cigarette is as dangerous to passive smokers as the traditional one. It turns out nothing of the sort. - We checked the air in a room where five people smoked e-cigarettes for five hours. There was neither nicotine nor carbon monoxide. It seems to me that it was even he althier than the one we normally inhale in the centers of large cities - emphasizes Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos from the Center for Heart Surgery. Onassis in Athens.

E-cigarette - careful enthusiasm?

Since e-cigarettes were created recently - in 2003, and the first research was conducted only recently, it is difficult to express full conviction about their safety. The results of the studies to date are limited, both in terms of the number of people tested and the distribution of effects over time. However, all researchers agree that, compared to traditional cigarettes, they seem less harmful, but only when used by smokers who want to quit the addiction.

Worth knowing

E-cigarettes emit carcinogenic benzene

Scientists from Portland State University (USA) have shown that e-cigarettes emit carcinogenic benzene. This substance has a strong toxic effect and is also associated with the development of serious diseases, such as leukemia and bone marrow failure. The amount of benzene emitted by e-cigarettes depends on the type of device. However, just one high-power e-cigarette, using a fluid containing benzoic acid or benzaldehyde, produces several thousand times morebenzene than its content in the air around us. "It is still a much smaller amount (50-100 times) than in the case of traditional cigarettes, but it is definitely not negligible and has an impact on the he alth of both smokers and non-smokers in their environment" - says Prof. James F. Pankow, lead author of the study.

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