Traditional vs electronic cigarette: what you swallow with each puff and what are the risks

Neither traditional nor electronic cigarette. Pulmonologists are clear: both are toxic to health. And the opinion of the world’s leading health authority is also firm: “Despite ‘risk reduction’ claims, there is no evidence to show that heated tobacco products are less harmful than conventional tobacco products.” The latest WHO statement on e-cigarette use notes that »many toxic substances in tobacco smoke are found at considerably lower levels in the aerosols of heated tobacco products, but these contain other toxic substances that are sometimes found at higher levels than in tobacco smoke, such as glycidol, pyridine, dimethyl trisulfide, acetoin and methylglyoxal.” During the combustion of traditional tobacco, more than 4,000 different toxic products are produced. Among them, they stand out for their special danger and for the diseases with which tar can be associated, responsible for different types of cancer; carbon monoxide, which promotes cardiovascular diseases; irritants (phenols, ammonia, hydrocyanic acid), responsible for respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema; and nicotine, which causes tobacco dependence. Among the toxic products that make up a traditional cigarette there are also substances such as butane, cadmium, acetic acid, methanol, toluene, arsenic, ammonia, carbon monoxide and stearic acid. MORE INFORMATION news No How is heated tobacco different from the vape and why Health only limits one of them Electronic cigarettes are not a better option. Carcinogenic substances and ultrafine particles in addition to nicotine have been identified in the aerosols of these products. Among the carcinogens, the following stand out: tobacco-specific nitrosamines, aldehydes, volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Among the ultrafine particles, heavy metal particles are notable, which, being less than 0.5 microns in diameter, easily penetrate the interior of the lungs and reach the bloodstream, being distributed throughout the body and causing damage to many organs and systems. according to a report from the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (Separ). The same document points out that the electronic cigarette also contains free radicals and reactive oxygen species that cause oxidative stress and damage cell proliferation and metabolism. Volatile organic compounds and phenols also appear; and other substances such as furans, diethyl phthalate and diethylhexyl phthalate. Metals such as chromium, nickel, lead, manganese, aluminum, tin and iron have been detected, sometimes in quantities higher than those found in conventional cigarettes. Tobacco consumption causes at least 69,000 premature deaths and more than 1.7 million years of life lost each year in Spain, according to a report by the National Committee for the Prevention of Smoking (CNPT). Passive smoking Secondhand smoke from traditional tobacco harms the health of passive smokers, but so do the emissions from electronic cigarettes, which generally contain nicotine and other toxic substances that are harmful to both users and non-users. are exposed to foreign aerosols, notes the WHO, which warns that some products claimed to be nicotine-free have been found to contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and some evidence suggests that children who have never smoked and use e-cigarettes can double their chances of starting to smoke tobacco cigarettes later. Although the long-term effects of electronic cigarettes are not yet fully known, they have been shown to release toxic substances that are carcinogenic or increase the risk of heart and lung disorders. Additionally, nicotine exposure in pregnant women may have similar consequences for fetal brain development. The WHO calls for urgent measures to control electronic cigarettes to protect children and non-smokers and reduce the effects of these products on people’s health as much as possible. “Not only has it been shown that electronic cigarettes do not help people quit smoking, but there is alarming evidence of their harm to health,” they point out. «Electronic cigarettes are marketed to very young people to get them hooked on nicotine. “National authorities must act firmly to prevent the consumption of these products and thus protect their citizens, especially children and young people,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, last December.