Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

E-cigarettes Could Cut Smoking-related Deaths | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55354537
Caption:

A window display with different color models electronic cigarettes is seen in a shop in Paris May 31, 2013. REUTERS/CHARLES PLATIAU


Washington -A U.S. study published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research said e-cigarettes could lead to a 21 percent drop in deaths from smoking-related diseases in those born after 1997.

The study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Cancer Institute and the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network, found that under most plausible scenarios e-cigarettes and other vapor products have a generally positive public health impact.

Multiple studies have sought to assess the impact of e-cigarettes on public health, with conflicting results.

Earlier this year a University of California study of high school students found that those who used e-cigarettes were more than twice as likely to also smoke traditional cigarettes.

The latest study differs from prior ones because it summarizes patterns of use from national data, the authors said. Previous studies have used local data that may have unusual patterns and are not necessarily representative of the whole country.

The study distinguishes between youths who vape who would not otherwise have taken up any nicotine product, and those who vape, who would otherwise have smoked cigarettes. When both those populations are taken into account, the benefit outweighs the harm, according to the study.

Many experts believe there are health benefits for smokers who switch completely to e-cigarettes.

“While the data are still not as clear as we would like, we present the entire picture with national data so we think our estimates are as good as we can get,” said David Abrams, executive director of the Schroeder Institute of Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at the Truth Initiative.