Are E-Cigarettes Harmful to People?

Are e-cigarettes harmful to people? With capital players such as Smartisan Technology and Tongdao Dashu entering the e-cigarette market, e-cigarettes seemed to become the entrepreneurial “hot trend” of 2019, which was even called the “first year of e-cigarettes.” Although most analyses believe the domestic market was sparked by news that “America’s Juul was acquired by Philip Morris,” in fact, as early as last year there were already public reports of financing for more than six e-cigarette companies, with well-known institutions such as Source Code Capital, IDG, and Inno Angel Fund participating. Clearly, capital had long been watching the development of e-cigarette projects.

However, after capital entered the e-cigarette industry, it not only accelerated market growth, but also turned the words “e-cigarette” into a “hot topic” in the eyes of the media and anti-smoking advocates. Some reports even suggested that including e-cigarettes in China’s tobacco-control policy was intended to curb the “astonishing growth rate after capital joined the e-cigarette market.”

Indeed, anyone following developments in new tobacco products can see that many recent reports about “capital’s e-cigarette布局” have also incorporated “health-related topics,” such as “the health risks of e-cigarettes,” “e-cigarettes are more dangerous than cigarettes,” and “which is more harmful, e-cigarettes or conventional cigarettes?” News like this has made many people who are currently switching, or preparing to switch, hesitate about becoming e-cigarette users.

But are e-cigarettes really, as mainstream media describe them, a “money-making machine marketed under the banner of health”? In fact, that is not the case. Many public health organizations have already concluded that “e-cigarettes are less harmful than combustible tobacco products.” The following examples help explain “why e-cigarettes are worth promoting” and “what health changes they may bring for traditional smokers.”

First, last year the American Cancer Society stated that “using e-cigarettes exclusively is preferable to continuing to smoke combustible cigarettes.” In the same year, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that “switching from combustible cigarettes to e-cigarettes can reduce short-term adverse health effects on the body’s organ systems.”

On the other hand, a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that formaldehyde levels in e-cigarettes are lower than the formaldehyde people are exposed to in everyday American households, such as from wooden furniture and household items. The aerosol particles produced by e-cigarettes are actually liquid droplets that evaporate and disappear within seconds, returning to conditions consistent with air samples taken before the vapor was produced. This suggests that “e-cigarette aerosol has a much smaller impact on indoor air quality than traditional cigarettes.”

In addition, these findings are consistent with research from public health organizations in the UK. Public Health England (PHE) and the Royal College of Physicians found that “e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than combustible cigarettes and reduce exposure to more than 7,000 harmful substances.” In December 2018, the UK government even launched a “switch from smoking” campaign, attempting to persuade British smokers that “using e-cigarettes is not as harmful as smoking traditional cigarettes and is a better way to quit smoking.” Not only that, but using e-cigarettes can also reduce environmental burdens and help lawmakers continue addressing the “health costs” and “budget” issues associated with combustible cigarettes. One U.S. analysis estimated that if all smoking-cessation patients in the country switched their current medical aids to e-cigarettes, about $48 billion could be saved by 2022.

Of course, fresh air is still the best option for the human body. But when discussing e-cigarettes in comparison with traditional tobacco, their benefits are truly numerous. In addition to reducing harm to health, they can also help smokers who do not want to quit or are unwilling to quit. This is also why “many smokers are willing to choose e-cigarettes” and why “e-cigarettes are worth promoting.”

In conclusion, regardless of the motives behind these reports, from the perspective of public health, the development of e-cigarettes should be encouraged, and funding should be used to prevent access by minors and non-smokers, rather than using inaccurate reporting to cover up the “truth” the public ought to know. In addition, whether or not capital is involved in the e-cigarette industry, smoking should already be banned in public places, including e-cigarettes. #p#Page Title#e#

Perhaps at this stage it is very difficult to get all opponents to accept the positive benefits of e-cigarettes, because this “involves many structural interests.” But looking at the overall domestic environment for e-cigarette development, restrictions on where e-cigarettes may be used are absolutely unrelated to “suppression,” and their added value to public health is certainly not something that “can be erased by one or two mainstream media reports.” Therefore, to those media friends who treat “tobacco control” as “pouring cold water” on the industry, please show some professional ethics: “don’t destroy a promising industry future just to chase a trending topic with a few words.”

If you are interested in building a career in the e-cigarette industry or exchanging industry experience, you can contact WeChat: vapeos, or call our e-cigarette market manager: 17682343645