Are E-Cigarettes Harmful, and When Will China Release National Standards for E-Cigarettes?

Are electronic cigarettes harmful? When will national standards for electronic cigarettes be released? In recent years, the electronic cigarette industry has developed rapidly. With selling points like "tar-free," "helping to quit smoking," and "zero harm," electronic cigarettes have been regarded as a natural substitute for traditional cigarettes. "Healthy smoking" is the main selling point of electronic cigarettes. However, as people's understanding of electronic cigarettes deepens, their harmfulness is gradually coming to light.

 
Electronic cigarettes have the same appearance, smoke, taste, and feel as traditional cigarettes. They are electronic products that mimic traditional cigarettes. They can turn nicotine and other substances into vapor for users to inhale.

Recent in-depth investigations by People’s Daily into the domestic and international electronic cigarette markets have found that e-liquids often contain nicotine and other chemicals, and the vapor produced when heated poses health risks. The World Health Organization's "2019 Global Tobacco Epidemic Report" states that based on current evidence, the harmful substances released by electronic cigarettes may be lower than those from traditional cigarettes, but there is still no definitive evidence to quantify their risk levels.

National standards for electronic cigarettes

Currently, the domestic electronic cigarette market is mixed, with varying product quality. Substandard electronic cigarettes violate relevant regulations during the manufacturing of e-liquids, adding harmful substances such as nitrosamines, diethylene glycol instead of propylene glycol, plasticizers, heavy metals, etc., which can cause significant harm to human health.

Such numerous irregularities indicate that the electronic cigarette industry urgently needs regulation. On September 23, the National Standard Information Public Service Platform released a new national standard plan, stating that the project cycle for the national standard "Electronic Cigarettes" will end on October 11, 2019, and its current status is "under approval." The national standard for electronic cigarettes is expected to be released this October.