Every year, more than five million people die all over the world due to the use of tobacco. A majority of these people try to quit this deadly habit but are unable to do so. But now, the launch of e-cigarettes i.e. electronic cigarettes has tweaked the curiosity of smokers and many people are ready to try it to see if it would help them give up their smoking habit.
E-cigarettes were first found in China in 2000 by a pharmacist named Hon Lik and many people have switched to the use of e-cigarettes in India to help them give up smoking. Many smokers consider this to be a boon that would save their lives. But many health organizations think otherwise. Thus, whether e-cigarettes do help smokers to quit smoking or not still remains a big question.
Many people who have used electronic cigarettes in India have the following to say about the advantages of these electronic cigarettes :
- No Cancer Hazard: People who support e-cigarettes claim that tobacco has more than 4000 by- products, which can cause cancer but these are not present in e-cigarettes. In the case of a traditional cigarette, when the smoker lights it, the chemicals which cause cancer are released. On the other hand, in the case of e-cigarettes, nicotine from the tobacco leaves is extracted and mixed with the liquid solution, which is then vaporized. But when nicotine is extracted from the leaves, all the other harmful agents are left behind. Thus no carcinogenic agents are present in e-cigarettes.
- No Smoke: No smoke is produced while smoking e-cigarettes. Unlike regular cigarettes which produce harmful smoke, electronic cigarettes produce vapor or mist which do not have any bad odor and do not harm the health of surrounding people as well. Thus e-cigarettes reduce the chances of passive smoking.
- Varying levels of Nicotine: Since e-cigarettes have nicotine in them and look like conventional cigarettes, they are preferred more than other smoking cessation methods as this gives the smokers the same experience as traditional smoking minus the health hazards. Various nicotine strengths helps the users to reduce their nicotine intake gradually and then quit smoking altogether.
- Saves Money: In comparison to regular cigarettes, electronic cigarettes help in saving money since a cartridge can last as long as a pack and the batteries are also rechargeable. Therefore, while there is an initial investment on e-cigarettes there is a much lower running and consumption cost overall.
But, many health experts and activists think that e-cigarettes are definitely not as good as they seem to be and point out a few disadvantages of them:
- Lacking in Regulations: Since e-cigarettes do not have tobacco in them, their packages do not warn the users of any health hazards or the way it should be used. This could pose a threat to the health of the users.
- Unknown Risks: Since e-cigarettes have not been tested properly, no one knows of the risks that it poses to the users. In fact, some researches have shown adverse effects of smoking an e-cigarette and it is even banned in a few countries.
- Possible Toxic Contents: Since there are no strict regulations, there are chances that many manufacturers may use some toxic products to enhance the effect of these cigarettes.
The effectiveness of e-cigarettes is an ongoing debate which has not yielded any results. Though there are a number of supporters for these products, there are also many critics.