E-cigarettes provoke young people to start smoking

Electronic cigarettes are more likely to prompt non-smokers to start conventional smoking and lead ex-smokers picking up the habit again, says an expert. E-cigarettes, which are banned in Qatar, contains toxic substances, deliver nicotine which is highly addictive and research indicates that it provokes young people to start normal smoking, Dr Ziyad Mahfoud, Assocuiate Professor of Health Policy and Research Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q).
“Portraying e-cigarettes as safe is extremely irresponsible and potentially dangerous,” he told The Peninsula, on the sidelines of latest installment of WCM-Q’s Ask the Expert series.
The health risks associated with using e-cigarettes and smoking shisha were discussed at the event on Tuesday.
“Although studies have shown that smoking e-cigarettes can reduce the normal consumption of regular cigarettes among smokers, until there are more regulations on the manufacturing of e-cigarettes and more studies about its health hazards it cannot be considered as a safe alternative to reduce nicotine dependency,” he added.
Dr Mahfoud said that nicotine gum, nicotine patches, medications and cognitive behavioural therapy provide safer ways to reduce nicotine dependency and give up smoking. E-cigarette is a handheld electronic device that vaporizes a flavoured liquid. The user inhales the vapor. The fluid in the e-cigarette, called e-liquid, is usually made of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerine, and flavorings.
“The production of the devices and the liquid that is vaporized and inhaled is poorly regulated. A user cannot be sure of what chemicals they are actually inhaling, and it is never recommended to introduce unknown, potentially harmful substances into the body,” said Dr Mahfoud.
“E-cigarettes deliver nicotine, which is highly addictive, and research indicates that young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to start smoking normal cigarettes, which can have negative effects on health, including increased risk of respiratory disease, heart disease and many forms of cancer,” he added.
“It is also completely untrue that the water in the shisha pipe filters out toxins. Scientific studies have proven that shisha smoke contains similar levels of tar and other hazardous chemicals as cigarette smoke does, and in some cases much higher levels. It is harmful to health and addictive,” he said.
Dr Mahfoud also said that if parents smoke shisha, children were more likely to adopt the habit and there is a need to create more awareness about the health hazards of smoking shisha.