Where to find it
(For full URLs, please contact the Grillo Center or see the website.)
American Lung Association: lung.org
Harvard Health: health.harvard.edu
Q: Are e-cigarettes safer than regular cigarettes?
A: Research on e-cigarettes is preliminary, and evidence is limited.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that deliver nicotine in vapor form. E-cigarettes are usually flavored and can contain other additives. Often they are shaped like regular cigarettes, but some e-cigarettes are shaped like objects not associated with smoking such as pens or flashdrives. Proponents argue that e-cigarettes are less carcinogenic than regular cigarettes are, because it is the burning of tobacco and filler products in regular cigarettes — not nicotine itself — that is thought to cause cancer. However, in 2009 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tested samples from two popular brands of e-cigarettes and found traces of toxic chemicals, including known cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) as well as diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in antifreeze. As a result, the FDA issued a warning about potential health risks of e-cigarettes. However, in 2013 a researcher from the School of Public Health at Drexel University reviewed all the scientific research on e-cigarettes and concluded that exposures to known toxic compounds fall well below the threshold of concern.
The main problem is that the FDA did not assert control over e-cigarettes until April of this year, and the lag in regulatory oversight means that e-cigarette companies have not been required to conduct clinical trials to demonstrate safety or to verify the purity and dose consistency of their products. Nor have they been obligated to list the ingredients on their product labels. Concerns from the FDA and American Lung Association include (1) substantial variability in the amount of nicotine delivered with each puff, (2) the possibility that e-cigarettes may contain ingredients known to be toxic to humans, (3) the lack of clinical studies evaluating short- and long-term health effects, and (4) the possibility that e-cigarettes could increase the amount of nicotine inhaled by current tobacco users and be a gateway to using tobacco products by new users, especially young people.
In contrast, proponents of e-cigarettes argue that e-cigarettes allow smokers to get their nicotine in a less harmful manner and can help smokers quit. The Royal College of Physicians (United Kingdom) supports the use of e-cigarettes as a less harmful alternative to smoking, and a 2013 paper in the journal The Lancet reported preliminary evidence that using e-cigarettes can help stop smoking. However, the FDA has not approved any e-cigarette as a smoking cessation device, and the World Health Organization has asked marketers to not make this claim.
The bottom line? There are too many unknowns at this time to evaluate the safety of e-cigarettes.
Elise Eller thanks Grillo Health Information Center volunteers for their initial research of this topic. The Grillo Center offers free and confidential research to help improve health decisions. If you have a health question, please contact the Grillo Center in person at 4715 Arapahoe Ave., by phone 720-854-7293 or online at grillocenter.org. No research or assistance should be interpreted as medical advice. We encourage informed consultation with your physician or medical practitioner.