As the popularity of e-cigarettes has surged in recent years, so has the public’s confusion over the health risks these products pose.
Last year, more than 10 million American adults used e-cigarettes, or “vaped,” and e-cigarette use has rapidly grown among teens.
Meanwhile, some surveys indicate that the majority of Americans believe e-cigarettes are as harmful as combustible cigarettes, with an additional 10 percent believing e-cigarettes are more dangerous than combustible cigarettes. In addition, the share of Americans with these beliefs has grown sharply in recent years.
The truth is that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than traditional cigarettes and other combustible tobacco products. In contrast to combustible cigarettes, e-cigarettes deliver nicotine through a vaporized propylene-glycol solution, not through burning tobacco. Users inhale the aerosol, which contains far fewer toxic chemicals than the tar found in smoke from conventional cigarettes.
According to a review of scientific evidence by Public Health England, the U.K.’s equivalent of our CDC, e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than conventional cigarettes. While that determination has come under fire, there’s little question at this point that e-cigarettes are less harmful than regular smoking.
Liam Sigaud – The Hill – August 5, 2019.