Harmless e-cigarettes are a myth [EXPLAINED]

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Just over a decade has passed since the appearance of e-cigarettes in Poland, and we already know that they are not risk-free, although better than cigarettes. Will smokers be persuaded about this?

Apparently, the most effective argument for Poles is the economic argument. It also works for smokers, not only when they buy cigarettes, but also when they want to quit smoking. On this basis, the e-cigarette (ecig) is gaining popularity, and recently HnB (heat not burn) products, i.e. systems heating tobacco, have been fighting for adult smokers. Meanwhile, a decade after entering the Polish e-cigarette market, we know that they are not risk-free and can be the entry point to addiction for young people.

On January 23, the conference “Nicotineism and health – new challenges for public health” was held in Warsaw, during which the results of the latest research on the harmfulness of smoking were discussed, with particular emphasis on e-cigarettes and tobacco heating systems.

Much has been written about the negative health effects of smoking. However, it is worth noting that large tobacco concerns were aware of this fact in the 60s, which began work on creating e-cigarettes as a better (and healthier) replacement for the traditional ones. Despite numerous alternatives, the global demand for nicotine products has remained virtually the same for many years. And smoking still harms humanity, and it does so extremely effectively.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a smoking pandemic some time ago. Alarming data show that if smokers do not give up smoking, the number of deaths will increase sharply, reaching almost 600 million in 2050. According to the WHO, smoking has been the second risk factor for death in the world since 1990, after hypertension.

In 2017, the Special Eurobarometer published data on cigarette smoking by Europeans. They show that more than a quarter of the population of the old continent still smoke. Additionally, in the 15–24 age group, the number of smokers increased from 24%. in 2014 to 29 percent in 2017.

In Poland, smokers account for a slightly higher percentage of the population, but later buy the first cigarette (Poland – 18,9 years on average, EU – 17,8 years), and they quit smoking at a similar age as the rest of Europeans (between 25 and 39 years of age). life). And many more men than women do. Unfortunately, Poles smoke a lot (about 15,3 cigarettes a day, compared to the EU average of 13,7 cigarettes). 60 percent men and 46 percent. women smoke at least a pack a day. Smoking is more common among men, young, unemployed, low-income and less educated people. Men (30%) smoke more often than women (22%), and people aged 15-24 (29%) smoke more often than people over 55 (18%). Research also shows that those of us who plan to quit smoking most often use e-cigarettes.

News for those looking for a “less harmful” balloon

E-cigarette is an electronic inhalation device equipped with a special element, heating the inhalation fluid with nicotine (liquid) to a temperature of 200 – 330 degrees Celsius. An aerosol is formed in the form of a mist that is inhaled by the smoker. Manufacturers of e-cigarettes point out that they do not contain carbon monoxide and dozens of carcinogenic tar substances that are formed when smoking a traditional cigarette.

Consumption consists of inhalation with an aerosol consisting mainly of propylene glycol and glycerin. This process is called vaping (also vaping, vaping) or juuling. There is also no so-called side-stream smoke, so people in the same room are not exposed to second-hand smoke. Finally, spending on e-cigarettes is much lower than on traditional cigarettes. A liquid that lasts a week or two costs as much as a pack of cigarettes, and the purchase of an e-cigarette takes about a month to pay off.

The latest products of tobacco giants, i.e. HnB devices, heat tobacco instead of liquid. By using them, the smoker experiences something between smoking a regular cigarette and an e-cigarette. Independent studies confirm that HnB technology reduces carbon monoxide production by 98%. and reduces exposure to tar. In Poland, e-cigarettes have been present since 2008, and heating systems since 2017. As for the latter, they are commonly known under brand names. The most popular are IQOS, iFUSE and Glo.

Dire fashion for e-cigarettes among young people

The Special Eurobarometer reports that compared to Europeans, Poles use e-cigarettes more often (71 percent daily, the EU average is 67 percent). Interestingly, they start vaping for slightly different reasons. Europeans are doing it to reduce the use of tobacco (61%, in Poland – only 29% of respondents), and for us, fashion is important. We vape because friends vape (28%, the EU average – 11%).

During the Warsaw conference devoted to this issue, it was announced that since 2017, the popularity of vaping has increased by as much as 600%. Replacing traditional ones with electronic cigarettes was supposed to improve the health of smokers, but it turns out that this is not the case.

Experts cited CBOS research from 2019. They showed that the number of teenagers who have already tried an e-cigarette has increased almost sixfold since 2011. He regularly vides 30 percent. students aged 15-19, and 60 percent. tried to do this at least once.

Young people are attracted to e-cigarettes by their low cost, varied flavors of liquids and the belief that in this way they will limit traditional smoking. However, experts warn that this belief is wrong.

– We absolutely do not want to agree that this is a cigarette intended for young people. Because it should be intended only for those who want to quit smoking, and then it is acceptable for me as a national consultant in the field of public health – says Dr. n. med. Jarosław Pinkas, national public health consultant. – But it cannot be an initiation cigarette. And now it just so happens that we have a very strong increase in vaping among young people. It is enough to see what the schools look like at the moment – he adds.

Some dietary supplements will help us quit smoking, which additionally support cleansing the body of toxins. Try, for example, Stop Nałogom – Panaseus dietary supplement available on Medonet Market.

Prof. Pinkas emphasizes that e-cigarettes contain synthetic nicotine and toxic substances. He also explains that although no tar bodies have been found in them, the risk is high, especially if the device was not purchased legally. – In the United States, since April 2019, there have been 2290 cases of acute respiratory failure due to the use of e-cigarette and as many as 47 deaths related to it – he adds.

The failure is most likely due to the fact that young people most often compose e-liquids themselves, to which they add toxic substances, such as THC. Similar cases also took place in Poland. Let us remind you that two teenagers came to one of the hospitals with respiratory problems, both of them vested regularly.

Prof. Piotr Kuna, head of the Department of Internal Diseases, Asthma and Allergy, Medical University of Łódź, discussing new epidemiological phenomena related to inhaling e-liquids and cannabinoids in the USA, introduced the term EVALI (short for e-cigarette or vaping, product use associated lung injury) . This is a new disease entity: acute lung damage associated with inhalation of chemical compounds resulting from the heating of liquids containing cannabinoids and other substances in e-cigarettes, known in Poland as designer drugs.

In the USA, approx. 35 percent vape. population, so the problem is much bigger than ours. The JUUL system is the most popular there, and e-cigarettes are constantly used by 27,5 percent. high school students and 10,5 percent. middle school students. Since 2011, there has been a 900% increase in the popularity of e-cigarettes among adolescents.

Experts believe that we should start blowing our hearts and educate Polish society. This is one of the reasons why the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate issued a recommendation that hospitals should monitor the situation regarding the effects of using e-cigarettes.

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Harmless e-cigarettes are a myth

Professor Paweł Górski, head of the 95st Department of Internal Diseases and the Clinic of Pneumology and Allergology at the Medical University of Lodz, whose speech concerned the comparison of systems available on the market with traditional cigarettes, admittedly stated that the content of toxic and carcinogenic factors in liquids is XNUMX percent. lower than in tobacco products, but these data were obtained from cool fluid tests. And, for example, diacetyl becomes toxic when heated, causing obstructive bronchiolitis.

Regardless of whether the liquid is cool or heated, it contains formaldehyde or nitrosamines, it is enough to cause serious diseases of the respiratory and blood systems or Alzheimer’s disease. Fragrances are also dangerous, esters, e.g. cinnamon, have a strong mutagenic effect. The long-term cancer effects of e-cigarettes are not yet clear, nor is their impact on chronic bronchopulmonary pathology clear. At the moment we can talk about a serious threat of acute, severe respiratory failure.

So far, five cases of lung fibrosis due to vaping have been reported in the clinic in Lodz. They all concerned people between 17 and 28 years of age. One has already been qualified for transplant.

Recently, it has been reported that e-cigarettes have a negative effect on the cells of the immune system and delay the healing process. Scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University have proven that they cause oxidative stress, which leads to the release of cytokines that cause gingivitis, as well as weakening the structure of the teeth. Toxic steam is the culprit.

The e-cigarette will not help to break the nicotine addiction

Poles do not believe that e-cigarettes are an effective tool to reduce traditional smoking. 63 percent of them did not work well in this role. Polish respondents, according to the Special Eurobarometer survey. Only 5 percent. study participants eat them as a means of reducing tobacco consumption.

During the conference in Warsaw, the results of research conducted in several countries were presented. In a group of 313 young adult Germans who smoked conventional cigarettes, 268 started their addiction to e-cigarettes. However, studies conducted in New Zealand (657 people) and Italy (300 people) did not confirm the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in the process of breaking the addiction.

So far, no independent research has been carried out on the JUUL system, so we only have those carried out by the manufacturer. They showed a 30% effectiveness in the form of 6-month abstinence. In addition, the JUUL system was found to be more effective with the use of mint or mango fragrances than with the smell of classic tobacco.

Prof. Górski presented the results of research conducted in 2016, which prove that, thanks to vaping, smoking of traditional cigarettes has been reduced by 50% in a period of 6 – 12 months. However, in long-term observation, i.e. with a minimum 3-year period of potential abstinence, no success was found.

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For people who are unsuccessfully fighting addiction, the HnB tobacco heater

“An independent British study of 4684 people showed that the majority of people use HnB as an aid to quit smoking altogether; for only 1 percent. people, these were the products from which they started smoking cigarettes on a regular basis – says prof. Mountain. – Therefore, although I believe that these products should not be promoted, they can be a real alternative for those smokers who are not helped by anything. This is a potential audience and only that. I have personally recommended IQOS to my patients several times. Successfully. – Remember, however, that the replacement eliminates exposure to harmful factors, but does not completely eliminate them – explains prof. Mountain.

These are the conclusions drawn from 31 studies – switching from smoking to HnB reduces nicotine exposure, but does not eliminate it. Although incidental HnB consumption is associated with lower plasma nicotine levels, unrestricted use gives effects similar to traditional cigarettes. However, HnB contains fewer harmful compounds, including carcinogens, than cigarettes.

For now, HnB heaters are still losing to e-cigarettes in Poland. Occasional use of the latter in the adult population (1011 respondents over 15 years of age) fluctuates at the level of 4%, while the constant use – 1,4%, and the result for HnB is 0,4%. Against this background, the data that show that ecig is consumed regularly by as much as 37 percent are disturbing. Polish students.

Also read:

1. Smoking damages the lungs. No matter how much you smoke
2. Passive smoking causes weight gain
3. See how smoking changes your body

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