Human beings love to smoke. We have been smoking in one form or another since 5000bc. Cannabis was one of the earliest forms of smoking but we soon went on to tobacco, no doubt because of the lesser side affects. In 1612 John Rolfe starting growing tobacco for cash in America and our obsession for spoke was officially born.
Probably for as long as we have been smoking there have been people saying that it is bad for our health. It is no doubt bad for our health, but then so are many other things we do in our lives, such as drink alcohol. Today, in the 21st century smoking has become somewhat of a pariah with worldwide smoking bans being enforced, and advertising cigarettes being abolished. The ingenius answer to this was the invention of electronic cigarettes. E cigarettes don’t emit smoke so could get around all of the smoking bans that have been introduced. But alas it didn’t take long for the naysayers to jump on the fact there hasn’t been enough significant testing to prove that e cigarettes are safe to smoke in public areas.
There has been enough tests to show that electronic cigarettes are significantly less harmful than tobacco, but it is true there haven’t been enough tests to prove they are completely harmless. E cigarettes are a way to get nicotine in to our system without having to smoke tobacco, and the bonus is we can get nicotine based e liquid in many different flavours. They are still nicotine based chemicals though, and as well all know nicotine is classed as a poison. So which are worse. Tobacco cigarettes or E cigarettes?
Which of the two has the most negative impact on the immune system, and to our general health?
According to research, tobacco contains over 4,000 different varieties of chemicals. Among these chemicals, 43 of them have been shown to cause lung cancer. Some of these known cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes include Hydrogen Cyanide, Carbon Monoxide and Ammonia. Irrespective of the research findings, many are stilling ignoring these facts, and continue to smoke.
E cigarettes on the other hand have become a popular alternative to tobacco cigarette smoking. This is because users of e cigs only inhale an e liquid with a nicotine flavour and as a result, they inhale a reduced amount of nicotine. However, E cigarettes are still shown to cause various health issues. Research has shown that infants and children who come into direct contact with e liquid can develop respiratory problems and nicotine poisoning. Second hand smoke continues to be a nagging problem in our society. This happens when an individual smokes cigarettes around adults, infants and children. Research has shown that even though the surrounding individuals are not smoking, they are still inhaling as much chemicals as the cigarette smoker is inhaling. Second hand smoke can also cause cancer and other nicotine related health issues.
In 2009, the FDA tobacco act reduced the amount of nicotine produced in normal and conventional cigarettes. The purpose of the act was to reduce the consumption levels and nicotine related health issues. Unfortunately, cigarette smokers have become used to the FDA proposed nicotine base. This has increased consumption levels and in the long run it has lead to health issues.
There is plenty of evidence on the other hand that has proved that the affects of second hand ‘vapour’ are negligable.
So the fact is we all know that smoking is bad for you. But also a very important fact is that electronic cigarettes are proven to be less bad for you, and for the passive smokers around you than tobacco. They haven’t been proven to be completely harmless yet, but remember e cigarettes are still in their infancy, having only been around for the past 5 years.
We can see a time when scientists and researchers can get e cigarettes down to being completely and 100% safe. What will the naysayers have to say then?
Author: Kevin Ewbank
Avid vaper & co-founder of SmokShop
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