As the findings of a cross-sectional survey (Farsalinos, Poulas, Voudris & Le Houezec, 2016) in the European Union revealed that 6,1 million EU citizens did use the help of an electronic cigarette to quit smoking and another 9,1 million reduced smoking with the help of this kind of devices (analysis of a representative sample). Ashwell as the Public Health Organization of England stated in their publication ‘E-cigarettes: an evidence update’ (august 2015) that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than regular cigarettes.
This research in combination with my own experiences, makes me believe that the use of e-cigarettes is a much safer alternative to smoking and I have seen more than 10 people in my surroundings who actually quitted smoking with the help of an e-cig (and quitted the use of e-cigs as well). A big advantage to electronic smoking is that you can systematically reduce nicotine levels at your own pace. Beside that, it is also a pleasant alternative to the bad tasting nicotine chewing gum or the itchy nicotine patches.
In the media there are stories about exploding e-cigarettes and e-liquids (the liquid that transform in to vapor while using an e-cig) that contain toxic aldehydes when they are converted into vapor. What bothers me in this kind of stories is that they rarely tell about which products it goes. There are many types of electronic cigarettes and without being too specific, there are safer and less safe products on the market. Most have a security build in the e-cigarette that prevent it from working if there is a short circuit, but others like the so called “mech mods” does not have this and are therefore not recommended for beginners. These stories can scare people and prevent them from trying to quit smoking. If you buy your e-cigarette and the e-liquid in a shop you can trust and you use these devices properly, you minimize these risks, as a reliable seller will always give the correct information and safety instructions.
To my knowledge there are no studies yet on the use of e-cigarettes in the long run, probably because it still is a relatively new market. But as we know for sure, smoking regular cigarettes is really bad for your health! As an e-cig could help you to quit smoking in the short term, I would say u should give it a try! I would love to read more scientific research and see strict but fair product requirement-policies as the market continues to grow.
That being said, I'm not a scientist and I do not sell e-cigarettes, this is just my personal opinion.
Sources:
Farsalinos, K. E., Poulas, K., Voudris, V., and Le Houezec, J. (2016) Electronic cigarette use in the European Union: analysis of a representative sample of 27 460 Europeans from 28 countries. Addiction, 111: 2032–2040. doi: 10.1111/add.13506.
Public Health England (august 2015). E-cigarettes: an evidence update. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/e-cigarettes-an-evidence-update
All pictures are made by myself.
(Sorry for my English, it is not my native language).