Egyptian Lawmaker Submits Bill Urging Ban on E-Cigarette Imports

On September 9, according to VapingPost, Egyptian lawmaker Rizk-Allah submitted a proposal last week urging a ban on the import of e-cigarettes and restrictions on sellers of these products. Rizk-Allah cited the World Health Organization (WHO), stating that e-cigarettes are not safer than regular cigarettes, and added that many studies warn of the risks associated with these products.

Additionally, Rizk-Allah incorrectly claimed that these devices can reduce the risk of cancer, stating that they increase blood lipids, leading to arteriosclerosis and heart failure, and added that they may also negatively impact the brain, leading to hypertension and issues with fertility and sexual function.

To this end, she urged the Ministry of Trade to prohibit the import of e-cigarettes and strictly control their export.

Meanwhile, contrary to Rizk-Allah's views, some independent studies have indicated the relative safety of these products. Notable anti-smoking expert Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos conducted a study in 2018 analyzing and comparing the carbonyl emissions of heated not-burn (HnB) devices, e-cigarettes, and regular cigarettes.

The products used in this study included PMI's regular and menthol variants of IQOS, Nautilus Mini e-cigarettes, and Marlboro Red cigarettes. Aerosols and smoke from each product were collected in a shock chamber containing 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine and smoking parameters, and two more intense puffing protocols were used to measure carbonyl levels.

The test data showed that heated not-burn tobacco products emitted 5.0-6.4 µg/cig of formaldehyde, 144.1-176.7 µg/cig of acetaldehyde, 10.4-10.8 µg/cig of propionaldehyde, 11.0-12.8 µg/cig of acrolein, and 1.9-2.0 µg/cig of crotonaldehyde. Compared to tobacco cigarettes, HNB devices were found to have 91.6% lower formaldehyde content, 84.9% lower acetaldehyde, 90.6% lower propionaldehyde, 89.0% lower acrolein, and 95.3% lower crotonaldehyde.

For e-cigarettes, no levels of acrolein and crotonaldehyde were detected, along with very low levels of other carbonyl compounds. When using 5g of e-liquid, a reduction in carbonyl content of 92.2% to 99.8% was noted compared to 20 cigarettes. While comparing 20 cigarettes with the same number of puffs, a measured reduction of 81.7% to 97.9% in emission levels was observed.

Therefore, researchers concluded that the carbonyl content of HnB devices is much lower than that of regular cigarettes but higher than that of e-cigarettes.