Statement: E-Cigarette Safety Has Not Yet Been Scientifically Proven

Introduction: According to the Statement on Electronic Cigarettes issued by The Union, it is still not possible to determine what potential health risks e-cigarettes may pose to users, and their safety has not yet been fully supported by scientific evidence.
China E-Cigarette News: As public awareness of tobacco control has gradually increased, electronic cigarettes, which claim to help smokers quit, have gradually entered the public eye. However, according to the Statement on Electronic Cigarettes issued by The Union, it is still not possible to determine what potential health risks e-cigarettes may pose to users, and their safety has not yet been fully supported by scientific evidence.
E-cigarettes consist of an electronic vaporization system, a rechargeable battery, an electronic control unit, and a liquid cartridge. They first appeared in China in 2003 and later spread worldwide. According to statistics, global e-cigarette sales reached US$3 billion in 2013 and have continued to grow rapidly.
On the afternoon of September 1, Zeng Fanyu, Director of the Office of the China Association on Tobacco Control, said that 90% of the world’s e-cigarettes come from Shenzhen, where there are more than 800 manufacturers.
Because e-cigarettes do not produce the smoke generated by burning tobacco, consumers often believe they are safer than smoking. However, The Union believes this “safety” is only an illusion, because consumers are not told exactly which chemicals are contained in e-cigarettes, and there is a lack of research data on the amount of each chemical inhaled. In its statement, The Union said that it is still not possible to determine what potential health risks e-cigarettes may pose to users. Scientific studies also show that different e-cigarettes vary greatly in their nicotine and other chemical content. But consumers have no way of knowing what substances they are inhaling when using e-cigarettes.
At the same time, the health impact of secondhand aerosol from e-cigarettes on non-smokers should not be ignored. E-cigarettes also release inhalable liquid particles and ultrafine particulate matter, nicotine, and carcinogenic substances into indoor air.
Therefore, The Union supports regulating the production, marketing, and sale of e-cigarettes, with the preferred approach being to regulate them as pharmaceutical products.