France: Are E-Cigarettes Toxic Smoke or a Harmless Way to Quit?

The heated tobacco information network reports: In just over a decade, e-cigarettes have launched an offensive against the traditional cigarette market, quickly gaining a large number of smokers' support, with over a million followers in France. The tobacco market is a treasure trove, and it is not easy for e-cigarettes to penetrate a monopoly field dominated by traditional cigarettes for centuries. Currently, the public debate over which is superior, new products or old products, has begun. However, the public will not be easily "fooled" and is closely monitoring the experiments, tests, and review results currently taking place in Western countries. Various speculations and conjectures have emerged regarding e-cigarettes; which are true and which are not?
Beware of the nicotine in e-cigarettes
E-cigarettes are questioned primarily due to the composition of their liquid, with nicotine being one of them. Ingesting nicotine is certainly very dangerous; a dose of just 40 milligrams can be fatal for an adult, and children are even more sensitive to it.
In fact, with few exceptions, e-cigarette liquids do contain nicotine, which is why they are referred to as "smoke." A single e-cigarette can contain up to 200 milligrams, and contact with the skin can cause strong irritation. However, the amount of nicotine inhaled through smoking is reduced. Nicotine is a stimulant that can provide a relaxing feeling but is addictive. Experts have differing opinions on its effects: some view it as a toxic substance that must be completely eliminated, while others believe it is similar to caffeine and should be used with caution, without excessive concern.
The toxicity of e-cigarettes
Currently, there seems to be a global debate. On April 20, the French newspaper Le Figaro published an article titled "The Harmlessness of E-Cigarettes is Questioned," stating that "undeniably, e-cigarettes pose a lower threat to human health than traditional cigarettes," yet American scholars still emphasize the importance of "long-term observation." The "American Cancer Society" presented a research report to Congress, providing results from "in vivo tests that observed toxicity," clearly stating that "it needs to be confirmed whether these toxicities are harmful to humans." Professor Avro Spira from Boston University stated in an article published in Nature that "some precancerous cells in the bronchial area are affected by the vapor from e-cigarettes in a manner similar to that caused by tobacco-induced lesions." This is the most explicit statement to date regarding the adverse effects of e-cigarette use. American experts do not want to predict that e-cigarettes are definitely harmful to humans, but they are currently focusing their research on cells with genetic mutations, as their appearance is often a precursor to lung cancer.
At IGR, a renowned cancer specialty hospital in France, oncologist David Planchard believes that the vapor from e-cigarettes may catalyze the development of such special cells, but this does not mean it will create cancer cells in healthy bodies; the vapor produced by burning tobacco contains carbon monoxide and solid particles, which are truly toxic. He stated that the vapor from e-cigarettes contains a very small proportion of carcinogenic components, and the nicotine and solvents are not causes of lung cancer. Compared to traditional tobacco cigarettes, it has a lower level of irritation to the human body. This expert advocates encouraging the use of e-cigarettes as a transitional tool for quitting smoking, urging the public to aim for complete cessation, as long-term use will definitely have health impacts.
French lung specialist Bertrand Dawsonberg firmly believes that smoking e-cigarettes is a broad avenue to combat the harms of tobacco, although it will take a long time to prove that it is indeed harmless. Currently, 73,000 people die each year from tobacco poisoning, and many doctors share his view.
The vapor from e-cigarettes, theoretically, is produced by heating liquid under pressure, with a temperature not exceeding about 60 degrees Celsius, varying slightly depending on the manufacturer. Therefore, there is no reason to say that the vapor produced by e-cigarettes has different components from the liquid; they basically contain the same components, which are propylene glycol and glycerin. However, laboratory measurements have detected impurities, one of which is formaldehyde, a carcinogenic toxic substance, but only in very small amounts. Others have not shown any confirmed or potential carcinogenicity and are basically harmless. Reports submitted to the Ministry of Health conclude: "Unless there are contrary research results, the current situation is that e-cigarettes differ from traditional cigarette smoke, as they do not contain potentially carcinogenic substances."
Nevertheless, e-cigarettes are not without loopholes: if the temperature is too high, the glycerin in the liquid can produce a strongly irritating substance called acrolein. Under normal circumstances, e-cigarettes do not reach the 250-degree temperature required to produce this substance, but recently, new brands using variable voltage have emerged that can increase the temperature. The reason traditional cigarettes are harmful is due to the various toxic substances produced when tobacco is ignited, such as tar, benzene, carbon monoxide, and some heavy metals, leading smokers to suffer from respiratory cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In contrast, when e-cigarettes are used correctly, the liquid will not leak harmful substances. Current verifiable research results indicate that e-cigarettes are significantly less toxic than regular tobacco cigarettes.
#p#分页标题#e#Can E-Cigarettes Help Quit Smoking?
France has 13 million smokers who have long been voluntarily or forcibly smoking traditional cigarettes. To combat tobacco poisoning, authorities have taken economic measures to raise prices while restricting smokers' freedom to "inhale" in public places, leading to a decrease in tobacco cigarette sales. However, in 2013, the revenue of the French tobacco industry was still 17.8 billion euros, indicating that the fight against tobacco poisoning still has a long way to go.
Three years ago, with strong media promotion, e-cigarettes emerged in France, and over a million smokers have "converted" to e-cigarettes, with the number still rapidly increasing. The emergence of e-cigarettes has brought hope to some heavy smokers who have previously failed to quit. At least advertisements claim that they help quit smoking, proving more effective than nicotine patches and other smoking substitutes. The medical community has also begun to respond in recent years.
Professor Abel Iherch, director of the French National Cancer Alliance and a pneumonia expert, admitted: "E-cigarettes have provided us with a tool to reduce tobacco poisoning caused by traditional cigarettes for the first time. Although scientific evidence is still lacking, it can at least be stated that e-cigarettes are far less toxic than traditional tobacco."
A survey report published by Le Monde in late February this year showed that half of the smokers in the country are trying e-cigarettes while continuing to smoke traditional cigarettes, with many aiming to ultimately quit their smoking addiction. Based on this, Dr. Giouyaba, a smoking cessation expert at the health center in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, concluded: "For smokers, the emergence of e-cigarettes has provided a means of freely choosing tobacco consumption, eliminating the need to rely on doctors' prescriptions and pharmacies, finding a way to reduce the risks of tobacco poisoning."
So, can e-cigarettes truly help smokers break free from their addiction? Researchers in Sicily, Italy, conducted a year-long experiment on 300 smokers. These participants did not set a goal to quit smoking when they started using e-cigarettes, but by the end of the experiment, they found that their consumption of traditional cigarettes had decreased by 50%, and some had completely switched to e-cigarettes. Experts analyze that there is still a lack of solid scientific evidence to conclude that e-cigarettes have a quitting effect, and it is still impossible to prove. They suggest that heavy smokers compare the use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes to seek further conclusive evidence.
The Tobacco Industry and Market Profits
Today, e-cigarettes on the market are similar in structure and smoking method to the "water pipes" that exist in some countries, both using liquid and a pipe to operate through the emitted vapor. The difference is that smoking a water pipe is a leisurely activity that takes about 20 to 60 minutes, while e-cigarettes use a battery with a one-year lifespan. Water pipes originated in ancient Persia and are popular in the Arab world and Turkey. The raw materials for Chinese water pipes come from Fujian and Gansu, known as "yellow tobacco" due to their golden color. The invention of e-cigarettes by the Chinese likely combines ancestral secret recipes with modern needs, making it effective and convenient, thus becoming fashionable.
According to statistics, the current revenue of e-cigarettes in France has reached 100 to 200 million euros, with total sales of 40 million euros in 2012, quadrupling in less than two years. Brands such as Clopinette, Cigaverte, Absolut Vapor, and Cigaretteelec have emerged among operators, with nearly a thousand specialty stores and online sales points, occupying nearly 58% of the entire e-cigarette market. E-cigarette models include disposable and rechargeable types, with the former resembling traditional cigarettes and the latter resembling a ballpoint pen. For smokers who are used to smoking a pack of "Marlboro" (6.8 euros) daily, their monthly expenditure would be 204 euros, while for e-cigarettes, aside from an initial purchase of 40 to 50 euros, the monthly cost is about 50 euros, with replacement parts costing only 6 euros. Such a significant price advantage cannot fail to attract the attention of global tobacco companies. Euromonitor predicts that in 2014, global e-cigarette sales may exceed 5 billion euros. This prospect has prompted tobacco companies to accelerate strategic actions, not only organizing efforts to influence public opinion and calling for relevant authorities to legislate but also considering ways to "share the cake" and participate in competition.