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A NEW STUDY funded by Cancer Research UK has indicated e-cigarettes are less toxic and safer to use than conventional cigarettes.
The study involved analysis of the saliva and urine of 181 people and was conducted by scientists at University College London.
It found former smokers who used e-cigarettes or nicotene replacement therapy may obtain roughly similar levels of nicotene compared with cigarette smokers.
However, the use of these products for at least six months was associated with substantially reduced levels of carcinogens and toxins. Those who used both conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes did not show the same differences, which researchers say highlights that a complete switch is needed to reduce exposure to toxins.
“Our study adds to existing evidence showing that e-cigarettes and NRT are far safer than smoking, and suggests that there is a very low risk associated with their long-term use,” Dr Lion Shahab, senior lecturer in the department of epidemiology and public health at UCL, and lead author of the publication, said.
We’ve shown that the levels of toxic chemicals in the body from e-cigarettes are considerably lower than suggested in previous studies using simulated experiments. This means some doubts about the safety of e-cigarettes may be wrong.
“Our results also suggest that while e-cigarettes are not only safer, the amount of nicotine they provide is not noticeably different to conventional cigarettes. This can help people to stop smoking altogether by dealing with their cravings in a safer way.”
At the start of this year, Ireland’s Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) acknowledged in a report that e-cigarettes had success in helping people quit smoking. It noted further study is needed into their clinical cost-effectiveness.
29% of smokers in Ireland currently use e-cigarettes as an aid to quitting smoking.
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Smoked 20+ per day for nearly 30 years. Switched to vaping exclusively 3 years ago. Am now running regularly, playing football, cycling and doing weekly bootcamp sessions. This would have been completely unthinkable while smoking. I feel great so I can only recommend that vaping can have a very positive impact on your life. Vaping was the only thing that worked for me to get off the smokes.
Me too. Never felt better. Ps first 5 or six comments are OK. After that we have pretenders pretenting to know what they are talking about. Best just read the artical and take from it what you will.
I think anyone who even wants to cut down should give them a try. A decent e cigarette might cost €40-50 so it’s worth a try at least, considering the price of tobacco. I hesitated on buying one but it worked. It does give the sensation of smoking and they’ll help with your preference regarding flavour and strength. Way cheaper, no smell or coughing and I’m not tempted when around other people in smoking areas.
I’ve been Vaping for close to 3 years now, to give up smoking, whilst, I do feel better, can taste and smell again, I’m still addicted to nicotine, but haven’t touched a cigarette. Each to their own, whilst I agree smoking is a filthy habit, it’s not, it’s an addiction, and people who have never smoked a day in their lives are lucky they didn’t make the stupid life choice to start smoking
@Andrew Giles: As you know, at least with vaping you can reduce down the 0% nicotine. That’s not possible with cigarettes. And, nicotine is relatively harmless.
I’m down to 3% from 24%,so heading in the right direction
Doing neither is far safer
@Neville Patterson:
Nothing is “safe”…..breathing air in the city is full of nasty diesel fume and worse……if your base level is perfection – good luck with that. If someone enjoys nicotine, live and let live.
“Enjoys nicotine” that’s a good one…
@HelloGoogleTracking!: Or the solid fuel some burn in their open fires is vastly more toxic than any so called second hand smoke.
Don’t be a d1ck, Neville!
@Neville Patterson: True… https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22001448 Nicotine still damages DNA.
@Alois Irlmaier:
Being alive damages DNA….that is what aging is…….any metabolism damages DNA, every replication of you cells damaged DNA. Free radicals damage DNA, cosmic ray damage DNA, ultra violet etc etc etc….
It is about acceptable risk, the risks can never be reduced to zero……life is a terminal disease.
Smoking a cigarette contains carcinogens which is seriously dangerous, nicotine too can be dangerous in massive doses, in the doses seen in vaping…..it is a stimulant similar in effect to coffee.
Try and put things in perspective
@HelloGoogleTracking!: Aging is to do with telomers I believe and even oxygen can damage DNA but it is about risks and adding to them?
Can feel a FG tax a coming on vaping …
I used to be a very successful smoker but hopeless quitter but i weaned myself onto vaping a couple of years ago and gradually lessened the nicotine strength of the juice until I went with nicotine free, still wasn’t an easy leap but way easier than smoking or any of the other quitting methods, patches, inhalers, zyban etc. I carried on with nicotine free for a further 6-8 months until the habit just totally dissipated, you know the coffee, driving, socialising type habits and have been free of vaping for nearly 6 months now without putting myself under any real pressure or stress. So for me, and I’m in no way special or unique, it has worked as a real quitting tool, it has saved me a ton of money that would of just ended up in the pockets of one of the most anti social industries there has ever been but more importantly my saved health for the future
Unless it blows up in yer face!
And smoking cigarettes causes house fires if not handled correctly , nothing to do with how bad they are for you, all to do with how to properly handle and manage lithium batterie tech, the same as responsibly not throwing smoke butts at your curtains..
Looking at some of the comments you would think you were in league with the tobacco companies, I’ve seen a few photos on Facebook in relation to batteries not being safe, it’s a stunt by the tobacco companies, they know that the e-cig oil has been passed safer than cigarettes, the photos and short videos on Facebook showing the battery exploding, have already proven to be false, the same person is in a number of photos with burn marks to his fingers and face at this stage has gone through about 5 batteries must be the unluckiest e-cig smoker out there.
@Peadar Ó Gréacháin: its the mod battery that explode not the small ones in the starter kit im on e ciggies as well 6 month have not smoked a cig since i started and used to smoke 30 a day for 30 years
@ Paul, I wish you the best of luck with the e cig, I’m on the e cig 2 years last November, smoking since I was 14…1969 the best move I ever made, I agree with you the starter pack isn’t very good if you want to give yourself every chance you’re better with a one off purchase of between 50 and €60 for a good battery and top, the Eleaf battery is very popular. Again the best of luck, the cigarettes are a curse.
Or your mobile blows up in your esr?
@Fergal Barry: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4363846/
It was a 6 month study – possibly not long enough to determine if vaping has any harmful side effects
@Anne Marie Devlin: It’s the longest one we have. And vaping has been around for close to a decade now and I don’t see people dying from it en masse, or presenting with symptoms related to it.
Vaping has been around 13 years now. Nobody has gotten sick from vaping, let alone died. People who smoke often become ill a couple times a year. Directly related to the smoking. 6 months is plenty time to determine what has been determined considering how advanced science is in this day and age.
@Anne
The burden of proof is on the accuser that it is not safe, not the other way around.
Is it your starting point that everything is unsafe until proven safe? If so, what have you proven safe so far, and what studies do you have to back it up?
Everything is unsafe, breathing is unsafe, being alive is unsafe, aging is unsafe, time itself is unsafe, momentum is unsafe….moving is unsafe.
You cannot prove a negative……but show me you proof that they are unsafe?
Safer but equally as stupid.
Stupid how? Please, oh please educate us oh learned one…
See my comment to Neville above
Smoked for 26 years. 3 Chest Infections a year . Vaping 3 years . Chest Infections Zero
I hear anecdotally that a lot of teens are going direct to vaping (if my sons school bus is anything to go by). AA bit weird.
Is it me or is that not the most obvious story ever ..
I used an ecig to stop smoking. Amazing aid to help stop smoking. However I noticed my blood pressure absolutely soared after a few months of vaping. Dangerously high I mean. Tried a view different brands of liquids too, but was still extremely high. I was also 25 and otherwise healthy at the time. I’ve quit that now too, and my blood pressure is normal, but I think people also should be aware that high doses of nicotine through vaping can also have very negative health effects on you!
@Cian Buckley:
I’m vaping for 6 months now, blood pressure spikes on occasions, the thing that bugs me though is I’m constantly thirsty.
@Cian Buckley:
I’d agree Cian. They do sell liquids in various nicotine strengths. I’m currently on 6mg but a friend recently gave me a 24mg bottle to try and I didn’t sleep a wink and my heart was racing. Best to start on a low nicotine strength (i.e. 3mg or 6mg) and take it from there.
Smoking used to be cool, vaping never was or will be cool. Can’t imagine enjoying a cup of tea and a vape! Each to their own.
@Mark O Dwyer: Give it some time. As soon as tobacco companies will go in vaping you will see how cool it become. It is all just advertisement.
Oh and yes, it become way more cool when gubenment find out how to tax it.
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