Is E-cigarettes or cigarettes is more harmful for human health?

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Is E-cigarettes or cigarettes is more harmful for human health?

Most people thought that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. The main reasons are:

The main hazard of cigarettes is cigarette tar, which is not available in electronic cigarettes;
the nicotine content of cigarettes is basically fixed, and the nicotine concentration of electronic cigarettes can be adjusted;
the combustion of cigarettes produces solid particles such as PM2.5 that are not easy to decompose, while electronic cigarettes produce liquid that is easy to decompose particulates.
By comparison, e-cigarettes are no more harmful than cigarettes.

Therefore, e-cigarettes came out as a substitute for cigarettes. The appearance of the first-generation e-cigarette is almost exactly the same as that of cigarettes. For many years, various e-cigarettes have been called “smoking cessation artifacts” and act as nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation. .

However, reality is more serious…..

July 2019

The United States, where e-cigarettes are popular, reported the first case of E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI), or “e-cigarette pneumonia” for short. Since then, the number of cases has gradually increased, and thousands of people have become ill, and dozens of them have died. .

2020 year

The e-cigarette pneumonia and the COVID-19 pneumonia epidemic overlap, and opinions were divergent for a while. The then director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield had to admit when asked by reporters: part of the e-cigarette pneumonia is the COVID-19 pneumonia. However, from the perspective of infectivity and epidemic characteristics, although the imaging findings of the two are very similar, not all e-cigarette pneumonia are COVID-19 pneumonia, because the early cases have not been observed to be infectious.

Someone asks a question

After the COVID-19 pneumonia epidemic, why is there no news of e-cigarette pneumonia? I think the most likely reason is that the COVID-19 epidemic consumes too many medical resources. A relatively small number of e-cigarette pneumonia is submerged in the ocean of COVID-19 pneumonia, and patients with e-cigarette pneumonia are likely to be more likely to be infected with the COVID-19 virus.

The WHO refers to smoking as “the number one killer threatening human health”, which shows the great harm of smoking, but these harms are almost all chronic and long-term. We have never heard that smoking can cause pneumonia similar to e-cigarettes. Acute injury. Smoking e-cigarettes for several weeks can cause severe pneumonia and even death.

So how harmful is e-cigarettes? Will it be more serious than pneumonia? It is hard to say at present, after all, the rise of this thing has only been more than ten years, and its short-term and long-term harm remains to be seen. But one thing is certain-smoking e-cigarettes is harmful, and the harm is likely to be greater than cigarettes.

Why smoking e-cigarettes can cause severe pneumonia?

It must be related to the composition of e-cigarettes. Let’s take a closer look at the structure and composition of e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes have a variety of shapes, but the composition structure is similar, including:

Structural materials: cigarette holders, liquid stoppers, atomizing rods, battery tubes, copper parts, chips, stickers, etc.;
Battery components: lithium battery, control board;
Atomization device: resistance wire, tobacco wool, nickel net, glass fiber rope, ceramic seat;
E-liquid: nicotine, solvents (glycerin, propylene glycol), flavors, pigments, and some countries allow the addition of cannabis ingredients.
We might as well analyze one by one, which ones are harmful to the human body, and what kind of harm they have.
Structural materials: a variety of heavy metals may be precipitated;
Battery components: may explode;
Atomization device: a variety of heavy metals may be precipitated;
E- liquid: It is the main source of e-cigarette harm.

1. Nicotine:

Compared with cigarettes, they are not much different. They can cause addiction, adverse cardiovascular reactions, affect fat and carbohydrate metabolism, and are neurotoxic, and affect brain development. Although you can choose e-liquids with different nicotine concentrations, most e-cigarette smokers do not aim to quit smoking. Teenagers in particular often smoke because of novelty and fun. Therefore, they may inhale excessive nicotine, which is faster than smoking cigarettes. Addiction or addiction to smoking worsens.

2. Glycerin, propylene glycol:

Exists as a solvent for nicotine. This is one of the ingredients of cosmetics and is generally considered to be safe, but it does not mean that it is safe to apply aerosol inhalation to the skin. Even if it is applied to the skin, it may cause allergies. What if the allergy is caused by inhalation into the lungs? Think of asthma and allergic pneumonia right away.

3. Flavors and pigments:

This determines the different flavors of electronic cigarettes. Usually, if flavors and colorings are added to food, we will feel jealous.

So what happens if it is inhaled into the lungs?

So far, no e-cigarette manufacturer has proven that these things are safe to breathe into the lungs. A study analyzed 28 e-cigarette liquids and found a total of 141 volatile compounds, and 12 samples contained menthol, which is banned in many countries. Studies have found that the carbonyl compound “2,3-butanedione” contained in e-cigarette aerosols can cause inflammation of the respiratory tract, which can form “popcorn lungs” in severe cases.

What is 3-butanedione?

It is the carrier of various flavors. The use of e-cigarette flavors is currently extremely irregular. It may be the main cause of acute lung injury. Of course, it may also cause allergies. The long-term harm needs further observation.

Is E-cigarettes or cigarettes is more harmful for human health?

Cannabis ingredient:

In some countries, it is legal to smoke cannabis, so the use of cannabis into electronic cigarettes is undoubtedly more addictive. Some studies believe that e-cigarette pneumonia is related to tetrahydrocannabinol and vitamin E acetate.

5. Harmful ingredients produced during heating:

Heating the e-liquid to 200-350℃ when the electronic cigarette atomizer is working will cause the above components to change. Some low-molecular aldehydes and ketone compounds (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, etc.) have been detected in the aerosol of electronic cigarettes, which have a strong stimulating effect on the respiratory system and can cause cancer.

Although e-cigarettes do not contain cigarette tar in cigarettes, they contain other harmful ingredients that can cause many diseases. Many reports have shown that the use of electronic cigarettes can cause acute lung damage, such as diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, allergic pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, and severe asthma.

In general, smoking cigarettes often causes chronic damage, usually onset after 20 years; smoking e-cigarettes often causes acute damage, which can occur within a few weeks, and it can also cause chronic damage. So which one is more harmful? I believe that the judges have made their own judgments.

Is E-cigarettes or cigarettes is more harmful for human health?

(source:internet, reference only)

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Important Note: The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice.

Is E-cigarettes or cigarettes is more harmful for human health?

Is E-cigarettes or cigarettes is more harmful for human health?