How safe are E-CIGARETTES?

Aiswarya Jayan analyses the pros (if any) and cons of smoking e-cigarettes, and their hidden dangers, as compared to regular cigarettes

- Aiswarya Jayan

It might not be very shocking to learn that nearly one-third of the population of India uses tobacco. Even school-going kids are caught red-handed smoking. It throws light on how readily they are available in spite of numerous attempts at getting their usage-controlled or at least reduced to an extent. It is further saddening to know that tobacco consumption is a major factor in stirring poverty rates directly as well as indirectly in India, where two-thirds of the population is poor and 30% live in extreme poverty. This is primarily due to the high out-of-pocket expenditure that the users may have to go through for the treatment of tobacco-related diseases. Available in various types, such as flavoured, length-based, filtered/unfiltered etc., the palette of options available for smokers is wide in the market.

How does tobacco work?

Tobacco is consumed by people worldwide for the pleasure it imparts, through the stimulation of adrenal glands after consumption, which results in the discharge of epinephrine (or adrenaline). The subsequent rush of adrenaline results in escalated blood pressure, heart rate and respiration. The activation of reward pathways in the brain then gives a feeling of pleasure to the smoker.

This feeling of pleasure is due to nicotine, which is the primary reinforcing component in tobacco. While traditional cigarettes, snuff, chewing tobacco etc. use hundreds of other chemical components to enhance the absorption of nicotine and its flavours, e-cigarettes deliver nicotine in the absence of other chemicals. These chemicals help in increasing its hyped appeal among users.

For smokeless tobacco users, nicotine is absorbed through mucous membranes in the mouth and reaches the peak levels slowly, when compared.