Electric Cigarettes Pose Great Health Risks
Thousands of smokers are switching to potentially dangerous electronic cigarettes, which are being marketed as the ”healthy” way to kick the habit.
The Australian Medical Association and anti-smoking groups said that smokeless, battery-powered ”e-cigarettes” packed with nicotine have not been tested for safety and could pose a serious health risk.
They are banned in NSW but overseas suppliers sell them online.
Former smokers who now puff on e-cigarettes say recent tax increases and smoking bans prompted them to switch. In some cases, it has helped them give up cigarettes.
But health groups fear the unregulated devices maintain the link with smoking and could cause nicotine poisoning or make people return to normal cigarettes.
Terry Halmshaw, 45, began using e-cigarettes eight months ago, inhaling and exhaling water vapour from cartridges housed in a rechargeable holder. A pack-a-day smoker from the age of 15, he had many failed attempts to quit but has not smoked a normal cigarette since he started the electronic variety.
”All that’s in there is nicotine. There’s no CO2, there’s no tar, there’s no sulphur, no cigarette butts, no ash - they’re clean. The best thing is when I go to the local hotel I don’t have to go outside … with the rest of the lepers, I can sit at the bar and smoke.”
The Australian Medical Association has asked the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate why the products continue to be sold.
”As far as I am aware, there are no warning labels on these products to alert consumers to the risks of use,” said AMA Victorian president Dr Harry Hemley.
An article published last week in the British Medical Journal recommended the products be banned, after an analysis of six electronic cigarette brands found nicotine levels were difficult to ascertain and the toxic substance often leaked out, posing a risk to children.
A spokeswoman for the TGA said e-cigarettes were not a safe alternative to normal cigarettes and not approved for therapeutic use.