It is now easy for people to buy electronic cigarette items. By heading online, they can take their pick from a range of products and accessories. Many of those who purchase e cig starter kits do so to help them give up or to cut back on traditional cigarettes.
According to one scientist, this could be a savvy move. Speaking at the recent 2013 E-Cigarette Summit at London’s Royal Society, professor of health psychology at University College London Robert West suggested that “literally millions of lives” could be saved as a result of the take-up of e cigarettes, the BBC reports.
Professor West added: “The big question, and why we’re here, is whether that goal can be realised and how best to do it… and what kind of cultural, regulatory environment can be put in place to make sure that’s achieved. I think it can be achieved but that’s a hope, a promise, not a reality.”
Fellow expert Dr Jacques Le Houezec, a private consultant who has studied the effects of nicotine and tobacco, concurred. He claimed that, because of the harmful effects of their main competitor, tobacco, electronic cigarettes should not be over-regulated.
He went on to remark: “Every adolescent tries something new, many try smoking. I would prefer they try e-cigarettes to regular cigarettes.” He also pointed to a 1996 study involving rats. The creatures inhaled nicotine for two years and there were no harmful effects. According to Dr Le Houezec, these findings are reassuring.
Another advocate of the products is Lynne Dawkins from the University of East London. While she stated that light-touch regulation was important, she added that e cigarettes present a “viable safer alternative” for smokers.
She remarked: “We don’t want to spoil this great opportunity we have for overseeing this unprecedented growth and evolving technology that has not been seen before. We have to be careful not to stump that.”
Smoking traditional cigarettes remains a dangerous activity. According to the NHS, it can increase people’s risk of more than 50 serious health complaints and each year in the UK alone, around 114,000 individuals die from smoking-related illnesses. The activity is associated with 90 per cent of all lung cancers and it can also lead to a range of other cancers, including those of the mouth, lips, throat, kidney and bladder.
Smoking can also damage the heart and harm blood circulation, increasing the risk of conditions like strokes, heart attacks and coronary heart disease. Furthermore, it can worsen respiratory conditions such as asthma. It can also affect fertility in both men and women, making it more difficult for people to have children.
It is perhaps no surprise therefore that consumers are seeking an alternative, and many are looking to the electronic cigarettes for sale. These products can be cheaper than traditional tobacco products and, because they do not smell or produce smoke, they can be used in many public places, including most bars, buses and trains.
The electrical devices mimic real cigarettes by producing a vapour and many e cigs contain nicotine.
About the Author – Anna Longdin is a freelance blogger who has written extensively on the topic of electronic cigarettes for a variety of leading sites, including Freshcig.