Electronic cigarettes and "vaping"

| Electronic cigarettes are mechanisms that generate vapor from a liquid with or without nicotine, which is why it is said that the person “vapes”. Are good?

The electronic cigarettes They consist of a battery, a liquid charge, an atomizer and a coil that heats the ingredients of the charge and generates the vapor that the user inhales. Most are shaped like a conventional cigarette, they do not contain tobacco, but only nicotine and additives, and they do not burn or smoke. Most are also odorless. Some have no nicotine, just different flavorings.

Are e-cigarettes good?

Manufacturers declare that provide nicotine in vapor form in a way that appeals to smokers who don't want or don't want to give up nicotine addiction, but who don't want to smoke tobacco either.

By not combustion, tar, carbon monoxide, or other irritants and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke are not generated. Users of the electronic cigarettes or "vapers" explain that the sensation is quite similar to that of smoking conventional cigarettes.

Due to its relatively recent introduction to the market there is little scientific and truthful information in this regard. As they are not considered a drug, they have been able to be marketed without having to provide contrasted studies that show that they are not harmful to health or that they are not effective as a tool for conventional tobacco. However, at the moment it is known that:

• Toxic and carcinogenic products have been identified in the steam in variable amounts depending on the different brands, despite being present in much lower doses than those found in tobacco smoke.
• Efficacy as a method of smoking cessation has not been demonstrated, although it has been useful to many smokers.
• The liquids used are not regulated, so consumers cannot be guaranteed that they do not contain or generate toxins not identified on the label.
• Your employment has not been shown to be safeEspecially in the long term, details of the potential effects on non-users exposed to steam are not known.
• Large multinational tobacco companies have also recently entered the e-cigarette business.
• There has been a growing use of electronic cigarettes among minors, with tolerated advertising when tobacco use is prohibited.

For all these reasons, many health professionals and the World Health Organization (WHO) advise against the use of electronic cigarettes. Also, allow the electronic cigarette is considered something normal in spaces where it is prohibited can compromise the social progress achieved in the last decade thanks to the different tobacco control measures, which are helping to reduce tobacco consumption.

Several countries have adopted specific regulations on electronic cigarettes. In Spain, applying the European Directive 2014/40, a new regulation was approved in June 2017 that equates electronic cigarettes with tobacco products in that it regulates their composition, labeling and safety requirements, prioritizing the protection of minors, since the health risks of exposure to the vapor of these products cannot be excluded.

The liquids must contain a maximum of 20 mg of nicotine per milliliter, the disposable cartridges will have a maximum volume of 2 ml and the refill containers of 10 ml, and the devices must have a child-resistant safety closure. Likewise, misleading advertising of electronic cigarettes and their use in government centers, educational and health centers, means of transport and children's play areas are prohibited.

Although the nicotine content is lower, there are no studies that verify the safety of vapors from electronic cigarettes, for both active and passive smokers, as well as there are no reliable data on its effectiveness as a method to get rid of tobacco consumption, so that as doctors we do not have data to date that allow us to do anything other than advise against its use.

In case of being a tobacco smoker and, there are other options, so it is essential to contact our reference doctor to deal with the process of quitting tobacco. He has the best specialists who will help you achieve this important challenge for your health. General Medicine Specialist