THEY SAID MORE SMOKERS MAY NOT HAVE SWITCHED TO EXCLUSIVE E-CIGARETTE USE BECAUSE OF :
MAIN FINDINGS :
Smokers who used vaping to cut down on the number of cigarettes smoked ( dual users ) – no decrease in levels of toxicant biomarkers .
The low effectiveness in early generations of e-cigarettes in delivering nicotine ,
Smokers who transitioned from dual use to vaping only or no use – a decrease in toxicant biomarkers .
Vapers who switched to smoking or dual use – an increase in levels of toxicant biomarkers .
SMOKING V VAPING :
The researchers said : “ E-cigarettes heat liquids containing nicotine , glycerol , and propylene glycol to create an aerosol for users to inhale and those aerosols generally contain substantially lower concentrations of toxic chemicals than combustible cigarettes .”
WORDS OF WARNING :
The researchers said better public health messaging could encourage more smokers or dual users to switch to vaping in order to achieve potential harm reduction benefits .
They said : “ Our study shows that only a small percentage of baseline exclusive cigarette smokers and dual users transitioned to exclusive e-cigarette use at follow-up ( 1.2 % and 5.6 %, respectively ).
“ This could limit benefits in moving combustible cigarette smokers to less hazardous , noncombustible e-cigarettes .”
Lack of knowledge among cigarette users to distinguish harmful effects between dual use and exclusive e-cigarette use or
The effects of negative public health messaging .
CONCLUSIONS :
“ This national cohort study provides evidence on the potential harm reduction associated with transitioning from exclusive cigarette use or dual use to exclusive e-cigarette use .
“ Switching completely from combustible cigarettes to e-cigarettes may provide meaningful health benefits for current smokers , especially those who could not quit as the result of severe nicotine dependence , withdrawal symptoms , or mental illness .
“ These findings may inform regulatory strategies and public health policies to guide tobacco users toward harm reduction transition patterns .”
The study – ‘ Exposure to Toxicants Associated With Use and Transitions Between Cigarettes , E-cigarettes , and No Tobacco ’ - is published on the internatonal , peer-reviewed , general medical platform JAMA Network Open .
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