Are smokeless cigarettes really safe?
Marketers of the smokeless cigarette typically describe is as alternatives to cigarettes and other tobacco products. Moreover they say that smokeless (e-cigarettes) to help smokers break their addictions to tobacco. Some have even gone so far as to imply that WHO views it as a legitimate nicotine replacement therapy like nicotine gum, lozenges and patches.
Smokeless cigarettes are usually battery-powered devices that use a vapor to deliver nicotine to the smoker. When the smoker inhales through the device, air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes a nicotine solution stored in the mouthpiece.
This vapor may also be flavored and provide a physical sensation similar to that of inhaling tobacco smoke. Manufacturers and retailers of these products claim that smokeless are safe and site e-cigarettes positive sides:
- They do not emit second-hand, or even first-hand, smoke.
- You can smoke e-cigarettes virtually anywhere cigarettes are banned.
- Because smokeless allow you to enjoy your nicotine fix without the thousands of chemicals and cancer-causing carcinogens found in regular cigarettes.
- Regain your health and your freedom to smoke anywhere, help clean the environment, and save your hard-earned cash all at the same time.
However, there have been no clinical studies to prove these products are not effective at helping smokers quit, nor have any studies verified the safety of these products or their long-term health effects. The World Health Organization (WHO), in a release dated September 19, 2008, stated that, "WHO has no scientific evidence to confirm the product’s safety and efficacy."
