Articles on electronic cigarettes.

Introduction to electronic cigarettes

Since the introduction of the e-cigarette, suppliers and users have been battling a wall of mis-information - leading some to wonder whether there is a conspiracy to stop the use of the e-cigarette.

There are huge entrenched interests in the tobacco industry: tobacco companies make billions in revenue, while the sale of cigarettes in the UK provides the cash strapped government with the money to pay for the NHS several times over.

Restrictions on Suppliers

Although one researcher we spoke to stated that alternative smoking aids such as the e-cigarettes cut down on the risk of smoking by 95%, there have been significant restrictions on the advertising of electronic cigarettes.

Advertising is often not allowed, including on Google. Google gave us the excuse that it does not allow Tobacco-related advertising - even though there is no tobacco in the product.

There are also significant restrictions on what suppliers are allowed to say.

Suppliers may not state that e-cigarettes could help smokers give up as part of a nicotine replacement theory, and some suppliers, including E-Cigarette Direct, have even been forced to take down testimonials from customers under imminent threat of prosecution.

Fears over Safety

Fears over the safety of the E-Cigarette have been raised by respected organisations such as the WHO, which was furious when some suppliers wrongly quoted them as recommending the product.

Other researchers, such as Paul Bergen of the Tobacco Harm Reduction project, believe that smokers are battling a wall of misinformation, with campaigners wrongly pursuing a quit or die campaign when other alternatives such as the e-cigarette exist.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials have now been carried out in New Zealand by Dr Murray Laugeson of Health New Zealand.

The test found that the E-Cigarette tested was:

"[The E-Cigarette] is very safe relative to cigarettes, and also safe in absolute terms on all measurements we have applied."

"...very safe relative to cigarettes, and also safe in absolute terms on all measurements we have applied. Using micro-electronics it vaporizes, separately for each puff, very small quantities of nicotine dissolved in propylene glycol, two small well-known molecules with excellent safety profiles, – into a fine aerosol. Each puff contains one third to one half the nicotine in a tobacco cigarette’s puff. The cartridge liquid is tobacco-free and no combustion occurs."

Source: Safety Report by Health New Zealand (PDF)

Further research into electronic cigarettes continues to be carried out in New Zealand.

Quit Smoking Links

American Cancer Society - Get Help on how to quit smoking. Nice list of reasons why you should stop smoking for medical reasons.

The American Lung Association - Every year in the U.S. over 392,000 people die from tobacco-caused disease, making it the leading cause of preventable death. Get help on quitting cigarettes today.

smokefree - Smokefree.gov can help you or someone you care about quit smoking. The information and professional assistance available on this Web site can help to support your needs as you quit smoking. Created by the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Nice collection of links to help you give up smoking.

Office of the Surgeon General - Tobacco Cessation - You Can Quit Smoking Now! Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence

 

SmokeFree NHS - Quitting makes a huge difference to you & your family. Find out how

Quitmasters - Nice site where you can use a slide calculator to see how much you can save by quitting.

Quitline - Nice resource for quitting smoking