Debate vapor electronic cigarette

A study shows that people who are close to another that is using an electronic cigarette are exposed to nicotine, but no other chemical smoke snuff .

Electronic cigarettes produce a vapor rich in nicotine that you inhale . Scientists and officials are questioning whether smoking cessation tool or an attraction to younger starting to smoke, and what effects have on health.

"There is a public debate on the authorization or prohibition of the use of electronic cigarettes in public places ," he said by e- mail study coauthor Maciej Goniewicz cancer specialist from the Department of Health Behavior Roswell Park Cancer Institute , Buffalo , New York.

" Electronic cigarettes containing different doses of nicotine and some traces of toxic substances. But little is known about the level of exposure to nicotine and other chemicals that could tolerate the non-smokers when they share the same space with users," said Goniewicz .

Electronic cigarettes

With his team conducted two studies on exposure to vapor electronic cigarette in a laboratory, whose results published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

In the first well , a machine used to generate the steam of the cigarette in a closed space and measured the level of nicotine , carbon monoxide and other gases and potentially damaging particles.

The second study included five common smokers and electronic cigarettes. Each man entered a room and smoked their usual brand of electronic cigarette for two periods of five minutes in an hour while investigators evaluated the air quality. After cleaning and ventilating the room , the experiment was repeated with regular cigarettes .

Nicotine levels in the atmosphere were 2.5 mcg/m3 air in the first study and 3.3 mcg/m3 with electronic and almost 32 mcg/m3 cigarettes with snuff cigarettes in the second investigation .

"Exposure to nicotine decreases when compared to the smoke of snuff . Also know that nicotine is relatively safer than other dangerous toxic smoke snuff " Goniewicz added.

Electronic cigarettes also generated particulate matter , although seven times lower than regular cigarettes . The electronic version did not change the amount of carbon monoxide or other gases in the air.

Therefore, Goniewicz said that "those who do not use electronic cigarettes may inhale nicotine, but not many more toxic substances , while they are close to a user of such devices ( ... ) . 's Very difficult to predict the impact of exposure to health. "

He felt that more studies are needed to know how these results are replicated in "real life " , with several users of electronic cigarettes in places with restricted ventilation .