Electronic Cigarettes Essay

Electronic Cigarettes: A Healthy Alternative? The use of electronic cigarettes has more than doubled among United State middle and high school students from 2011 to 2012 (“Press Release”). The number of people purchasing electronic cigarettes is growing without buyers understanding the dangerous outcomes. Smokers believe that using an electronic cigarette is the healthy alternative to smoking. Because not much is known, there are still many concerning factors. The authors state:

Electronic cigarettes are a recent development in tobacco harm reduction. They are marketed as less harmful alternatives to smoking. Awareness and use of these devices has grown exponentially in recent years, with millions of people currently using them. This systematic review appraises existing laboratory and

Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco states “There’s no question that a puff on an e-cigarette is less toxic than a puff on a regular cigarette” (“Health Risks of E-cigarettes Emerge”). Like regular cigarettes, electronic cigarettes are also linked to causing cancer. Aerosols from some electronic cigarettes contain cancer causing chemicals, along with the nicotine ("Minnesota Department of Health."). New studies show that they deliver a cocktail of toxic chemicals into the lungs. Among these chemicals are carcinogens, which is a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissues ("Health Risks of E-cigarettes Emerge."). Dr. Belchetz says “No data exists as to the long-term effects on human health of breathing e-cigarette vapour.” Chemicals like glycerin and propylene glycol, found in electronic cigarettes, have not been studied to measure their long-term effect but are approved for oral consumptions ("The Unadvertised Health Risks of