WHO Report Confirms Switching from Cigarettes to E-Cigarettes Reduces Harm

Can e-cigarettes help quit smoking? Is switching to e-cigarettes a way to reduce harm for smokers? This has long been a focal point of attention and controversy in the e-cigarette industry. The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report on e-cigarettes in 2020, which already provided answers to these debates: there is solid evidence that switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes can reduce harm.
 

In the report, WHO cited the assessment of e-cigarettes by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in the United States. The solid evidence states: "Completely replacing cigarettes with e-cigarettes can reduce users' exposure to various toxic and carcinogenic substances produced by cigarette combustion." There is substantial evidence that: "Using e-cigarettes leads to nicotine dependence, but the level of dependence is lower than that of cigarettes; long-term exposure to e-cigarette vapor may increase the risk of some diseases, but the risk is lower than that of cigarettes; completely switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes can improve the health of multiple organs in the body."

WHO specifically pointed out that recent studies show that simultaneous use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes leads to higher levels of oxidative stress and increased risks to cardiovascular and pulmonary health, thus dual use is not recommended.

The report concludes that WHO, NASEM, and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) have all recognized the potential of e-cigarettes to improve public health. At the same time, WHO also made some recommendations for countries planning to regulate e-cigarettes: including requiring e-cigarette companies to standardize sales channels (including online sales), strictly enforce laws regarding minimum purchase age; through standardized regulations, minimize health risks for e-cigarette users; prohibit the addition of carcinogens, mutagens, and other harmful substances.

Taking the UK as an example, the UK has been following a smoke-free plan: aiming to eliminate combustible cigarettes by 2030, allowing smokers to completely quit or switch to lower-risk nicotine delivery systems, such as e-cigarettes. Although the smoking rate among the Chinese population is currently on a downward trend, it still remains at a high level.

Ma Liang, a researcher at the National Development and Strategic Research Institute of Renmin University of China, commented that while absolute harmlessness from smoking is the best choice, in the short term, rather than advocating for an unrealistic smoke-free ideal that is difficult to achieve, it is more practical to promote harm reduction through smoking cessation and reduction methods to mitigate the health hazards caused by smoking and secondhand smoke exposure.