Electronic cigarettes contain 10 times more carcinogens than regular cigarettes

On Thursday, Japanese scientists warned of e-cigarettes containing 10 times more carcinogenic agents than regular cigarettes. This is a blow to innovation that was once considered a healthy alternative to cigarettes.

>>>Electronic cigarettes are still harmful to users

Electronic cigarettes - increasingly popular in the world, especially among young people - work by heating a special liquid, usually containing nicotine, into steam to be inhaled, like medicine Conventional leaves do not produce smoke.

Researchers commissioned by the Japanese Ministry of Health have found carcinogens like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in vapors that come from different types of electronic cigarette solutions. Formaldehyde is a compound found in construction materials and embalming solutions. It appears in electronic cigarette vapor with much higher concentrations than regular cigarette smoke, according to an official from the Ministry of Health of Japan.

"The research team found 10 times the concentration of carcinogens in an electronic cigarette brand compared to regular cigarettes," said Naoki Kunugita, a researcher. He added that the amount of formaldehyde was found to change constantly during the analysis. "Especially when the burning part of the cigarette (which helps evaporate the liquid) becomes too hot, it will produce a greater amount of toxic compounds."

Kunugita and his team at the Japan Public Health Institute sent a report to the Ministry of Health on Thursday. Like other cases, Japan will not make any adjustments to nicotine-free electronic cigarettes. Meanwhile, nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes, known as the Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS), are being considered for inclusion in Japan's Pharmaceutical Law, but they can still be easily traded. Internet, although they are no longer sold publicly at stores.

"We call these products e-cigarettes, but they are completely different from regular cigarettes," said the official of the Ministry of Health. "The Japanese government is currently investigating the potential risks associated with these types of cigarettes."

Serious threat

Last August, the World Health Organization asked national governments to minimize the sale of electronic cigarettes, warning that they bring "serious threats" to children. newborns and adolescents.

Despite the meager studies of the harmful effects of this drug, WHO still believes there is enough evidence "to warn of its harm to infants and adolescents, pregnant women and women. in the reproductive age " , due to " nicotine exposure in infants and adolescents (possibly) leads to long-term harm to brain development ". The UN health agency also said these drugs should be banned in public places in the home.

Health agencies in the US announced earlier this year, that the number of teenagers using e-cigarettes in the country has tripled between 2011 and 2013. There are more than 1/4 million. Young smokers have never tried electronic cigarettes in 2013, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Electronic cigarette advocates say the device is a safe alternative to conventional cigarettes. They accuse other types of toxic chemicals and gases of being the main cause of cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke, leading to the deaths of many people in many countries around the world. But the protesters argue that because this device has only appeared in the last few years, we still cannot understand the long-term health effects caused by e-cigarette vapors.

Reference: Business Insider