What is an e-cigarette?
Launched in China in 2004, e-cigarettes are marketed by some manufacturers as a "healthier" alternative to conventional cigarettes as they claim not to contain tobacco and the poisonous carcinogenic chemicals associated with it. The typial e-cigarette looks like a real cigarette but is made of stainless steel and has a chamber for storing liquid nicotine and a rechargeable battery. E-cigarettes are even advertised as a clever way to circumvent the smoking ban in public places as no tobacco is present and - as the cigarettes aren't lit - there is no actual smoke, just a fine mists which is inhaled into the lungs.
However, e-cigarettes are proving to be controversial and have divided experts when it comes to their merits and whether they have potential as smoking cessation aids. In 2008 the World Health Organisation issued a statement saying there was no evidence to prove e-cigarettes were safe or helped smokers break their tobacco addiction.
In the USA, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) carried out tests on 19 brands of e-cigarettes and found some contained harmful chemicals. The FDA ruled in April that e-cigarettes must be marketed as tobacco products and not smoking cessation devices.
However two recent studies have suggested that e-cigarettes may be useful devices for helping smokers to quit.
Dr Maciej Goniewicz, a research fellow at the Academic Psychology and Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Bart's and the London School of Medicine said, "We know that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes containing tobacco but we can't say whether they are totally safe because the data just isn't there. Recent research suggests that they can reduce nicotine cravings in smokers and that smokers smoke fewer cigarettes - but we need longer term data."
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed that e-cigarettes are not currently covered by regulation but it is now investigating the issue. A public consultation has highlighted the need for evidence on the levels of nicotine that have a significant pharmacological effect and the need for information on the impact of regulation on public health and business. A final decision on regulation is expected to be made in September 2013.
The current position is that NHS stop smoking service staff cannot actively recommend e-cigarettes because we don't know how well they work but we can't discount that they might become part of our toolkit in the future.
(Taken from The Advisor Autumn 2011)