55% of Europeans believe that e-cigarettes are harmful, according to the Eurobarometer 2017 of the European Commission. No expert claims that it is totally free of danger. But compared to the burning of tobacco, "it brings substantial health benefits," say the British health authorities in a report from February 2018.
Unreliable small studies regularly create fears, such as the one showing that a one-week continuous exposure to e-cigarette vapor degrades cell DNA. Certainly, but this exposure does not correspond to a normal use of the product. And if this experiment had been conducted with tobacco, the cells would have been altered in just a few hours!
Is Vapoter carcinogenic?
An electronic cigarette emits neither tar nor carbon monoxide that fouls the lungs, decreases the oxygenation of the body and induces the appearance of tumors. If the ideal is not to inhale anything at all, the e-cigarette is less unhealthy than the conventional cigarette. "A year of vaping is less carcinogenic than a single day of tobacco," says Professor Bernard Dautzenberg, a pulmonologist at La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital.
The presence of microparticles in the vapors of e-liquid is however often pointed out. Italian researchers at the University of Naples have accurately assessed their impact. Their verdict, published in October 2017 in the "Journal of Aerosol Science", is formal: these microparticles represent a risk of cancer 57,000 times less than that caused by tobacco combustion.
Using the electronic cigarette to stop smoking is a good calculation. That puts 97% of the concentration of toxic substances in the body, say toxicologists at the University of London.
The electronic cigarette: a danger for the brain?
An American study of mice suggested in March 2017 that vaping harms the brain. This conclusion would be erroneous according to Professor Dautzenberg. When the electronic cigarette releases nicotine, it induces - it is true - a drop in glucose levels in the brain. But all sources of nicotine cause the same effect, not the e-cigarette as patches or chewing gum nicotine.
And the risk of embolism or stroke is not correlated with the presence of nicotine but with that of other components of tobacco. "It would be tragic if smokers who could quit using the electronic cigarette were discouraged because of these false beliefs," says Prof. John Newton of the UK Department of Health.
Should we be afraid of passive vaping?
Breathing beside a vaper seems to pose a minor or no risk. The exhaled vapors are dispersed in the air in 30 seconds, against approximately 20 minutes for tobacco smoke, which minimizes the risk of involuntary absorption. In addition, they contain only a small number of chemicals: 18, instead of 79 for tobacco.
In addition, the main components of e-liquids are well known. It is propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, products used for a long time in the pharmaceutical and food industry. As for the possible presence in the smoke of toxic substances such as formaldehyde or acrolein, this seems unlikely. These compounds only appear if the e-liquid is subjected to very high temperatures. As long as the tank is not empty, the batteries of electronic cigarettes do not heat enough to reach such peaks.
However, as a precaution, do not vape during pregnancy - or in the same room as a pregnant woman - because nicotine is likely to induce fetal malformations. The e-cigarette has become an effective substitute for tobacco. But the controversy over its safety is reflected regularly on social networks. Serious scientific studies, however, have shown that vaping is less risky than smoking traditional cigarettes.
