According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of adults smoking cigarettes has been on decline since 1955 – the year in which smoking peaked in popularity.
Since then, we’ve learned that smoking causes a whole slew of problems – not just for smokers, but for the people around them, as well as for the environment.
In 1955, approximately 56.9 percent of men and 28.4 percent of women smoked. In 2013, the CDC reported that 20.5 percent of men and 15.3 percent of women were smokers, a dramatic drop since its popularity in 1955. However, a new form of smoking is catching on: electronic or vapor cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, also known as vapes. Between traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes, is the electronic version really less harmful?
Two major differences between the electronic and traditional variety is that e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, and secondhand smoke is not a factor for e-cigarettes (though they do expose others to secondhand emissions, says the American Lung Association). However, the FDA maintains that e-cigarettes still contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals and, despite claims that e-cigarettes help with smoking cessation, the FDA has not approved any e-cigarettes to be used as aids for smoking cessation.
In fact, in a 2015 CDC study, 58.8 percent of e-cigarette users didn’t cease smoking traditional cigarettes; they simply added e-cigarettes to their smoking regimen. The study found that 29.8 percent of e-cigarette users were former cigarette smokers, and 11.4 percent had never been cigarette smokers.
While e-cigarettes do have fewer health risks than traditional cigarettes, the idea that e-cigarettes definitively aid in smoking cessation is unfounded. Between e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, the electronic version is less harmful. Still, not smoking at all is still clearly the best option for one’s health.
Ray Bruster is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
