All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
The potential health risks of e-cigarettes continue to cause contention within the medical community. Since its creation in 2003 by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, the e-cigarette, and the act of vaping, have been linked to cardiovascular health issues, despite claims from the industry that they are healthier. As a result, questions over safety are frequently weighed against their potential value as a smoke cessation aid. While the long-term effects of e-cigarettes have yet to be determined, a six-month trial conducted by Cancer Research UK-funded scientists has found they are less toxic than conventional cigarettes.
The team of epidemiologists analysed urine and saliva samples from long-term e-cigarette and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) users, as well as smokers, and tested them for key chemicals associated with smoking.
The study found that people who swapped regular cigarettes for e-cigarettes, or NRT, were found to have much lower levels of toxic and carcinogenic substances, compared to those who continued to smoke tobacco cigarettes. However, if patients continued to smoke regular cigarettes whilst also using e-cigarettes or NRT, researchers found there wasn't the same significant reduction in toxins. Therefore, to lower toxin levels it is necessary to stop smoking entirely.
Lion Shahab, senior lecturer in the department of epidemiology and public health at UCL, noted that the trial disproves previous theories about the dangers of e-cigarettes.
"We've shown that the levels of toxic chemicals in the body from e-cigarettes are considerably lower than suggested in previous studies using simulated experiments. This means some doubts about the safety of e-cigarettes may be wrong,” he says.
The results of the study could give further backing to the idea of using e-cigarettes as smoke cessation aids. E-cigarettes could be used to combat cravings for tobacco cigarettes, or perhaps a way to stop smoking altogether. The need for a reduction in people smoking comes at a time when someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes, with an estimated 42 per cent of cancer cases being linked to preventable lifestyle factors.
Tobacco smoke contains around 250 known chemicals that are harmful to the human body. Of those 250, at least 69 are carcinogenic and directly contribute to the formation of cancerous cells. These chemicals range from arsenic and berylium to radioactive elements such as Polonium-210.
Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer prevention, said: "Around a third of tobacco-caused deaths are due to cancer, so we want to see many more of the UK's 10 million smokers break their addiction.”
In light of the evidence suggested by the trial, Cox adds that: "Understanding and communicating the benefits of nicotine replacements, such as e-cigarettes, is an important step towards reducing the number of tobacco-related deaths here in the UK."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
