Sometimes preferred to try to quit smoking, the electronic cigarette has become commonplace, but its dangers and benefits are not always clear to many French people. As Operation “No Tobacco Month” kicks off this Tuesday, November 1, a look back at what distinguishes vaping from smoking.
The electronic cigarette consists of “a battery, a fluid reservoir, and a coil,” according to the National Cancer Institute. The smoker consumes a liquid generally composed of propylene glycol and glycerol, solvents, to which nicotine and various aromas can be added.
Big difference with the classic cigarette, the electronic cigarette does not contain tobacco.
Toxic substances in electronic cigarettes
Does this mean that the electronic cigarette is not dangerous? “The number of scientific studies on the toxicity of electronic cigarettes remains low due to methodological problems,” reports the Léon Bérard cancer control center.
However, the investigations carried out so far reveal “the presence of heavy metals in electronic cigarette refill liquids”, such as lead, nickel or copper, which are harmful to health. Studies also warn about possible cardiovascular risks.
“Toxic substances common to those from the combustion of conventional cigarettes, such as carbon monoxide or tar” were also detected.
Nicotine: addictive, but not carcinogenic
Should we also be concerned about the possible presence of nicotine in electronic cigarettes? Dr. Alain Ducardonnet, BFMTV’s health adviser, recalls that, although this substance “promotes addiction”, it is not directly harmful to the body and that it is “non-carcinogenic”.
In this sense, vaping appears to be less dangerous to health than cigarettes. However, 8 out of 10 French people do not know this, according to an October 2022 survey carried out by the “Sovap” association, which encourages the reduction of the risks of smoking through vaping.
“The tobacconists agree that (the) risks (that vaping entails) have no measure with the risks of cigarette combustion”, underlines Alain Ducardonnet.
In fact, the dangers of conventional cigarettes stem in part from the presence of carcinogenic substances, such as arsenic and chromium, and in part from carbon monoxide and fine particles produced by the smoke. Elements that are not present in significant amounts in electronic cigarettes, according to the National Cancer Institute.
A risk of addiction?
Vaping, when practiced in a playful way, especially among adolescents who have never smoked cigarettes, also carries a risk: that of familiarizing the youngest with the gesture of smoking, possibly exposing them to nicotine, an addictive substance, and therefore both encourage them to use tobacco afterwards. .
Despite the questions that remain, the electronic cigarette is still, along with patches and medication, considered one of the preferred tools by many doctors to quit smoking.
Tobacco use kills 75,000 people a year.
Source: BFM TV
