Everybodys got an opinion on e-cigarettes: ask ten people about their safety and youll get ten different answers.
Lets look at the details.
Vaping is controversial because its new, which means two things.
First, the science isnt settled yet on how safe it is.
And secondperhaps more importantlypolitical and commercial interests havent figured out yet where they stand.
Does Big Tobacco see vaping as a competitor or a market opportunity?
Is vaping a boon to public health or just a gateway cigarette?
With so many questions unsettled, we cant give you a clear yes-or-no answer in a single Lifehacker post.
(A lot of lifes questions can be answered that way, but not this one.)
Do E-Cigarettes Contain Harmful Ingredients?
Lets start with the obvious: Nicotine is present in most e-cigarettes.
Nicotine is addictive, but its not carcinogenic.
Nicotine has plenty of problems of its own.
The carcinogens are, instead, found in thetarcomponent of cigarettes.
Mice exposed to e-cigarette vapor suffered mild lung damage,but far lessthan they would with cigarette smoke.
Is that enough to declare e-cigarettes mostly harmless?
Drinking the liquid has led to at leastone toddlers death.
Childproof caps arent currently mandated.
If you use the liquid, handle it carefully and keep it out of reach of kids and pets.
Can Vaping Help You Quit Smoking?
But if thats true, scientists are having a hard time proving it.
Take this study,published in JAMA Internal Medicinelast year.
Why the opposite result?
In other words, vapers may notwantto quit.
But without more research on their motivation, we cant say for sure if this is what happening.
There areno agreed-upon guidelinesfor using vaping as a smoking cessation aid.
Is Big Tobacco Behind the Rise In Vaping?
The result is asort-of war between two types of manufacturers.
In the other, cigalike products you might buy at convenience stores: disposable, cigarette-looking, and cigarette-flavored.
Meanwhile, the independent e-cigarette companies are shaping up to be amarketing force of their own.
As the market evolves, keep your eye on the science, not the hype.
Illustration by Tara Jacoby.
