Electronic cigarettes: A safe method to quit smoking ?

The last few months have proliferated small shops of electronic cigarettes , a new method to stop smoking that causes controversy in the scientific community regarding its effectiveness and safety. While the tobacco industry sees in these electronic cigarettes a future source of income, striving to launch campaigns in favor of its benefits, health agencies are increasingly uncertain about its effectiveness.

This week has been the World Health Organization (WHO) which has advised against the use of electronic cigarettes , considering that its scientific usefulness has not yet been demonstrated and the possible risks for the health of the consumer have not been determined. According to the agency, scientific evidence shows that the amount of nicotine in the e-cigarette varies according to each product and, therefore, the user is unable to know what are the chemical substances contained in the mechanism or the volume of nicotine that is present. inhaling

The manufacturers of these products report that the cartridges usually contain between 6 and 24 milligrams of nicotine, but can reach more than 100 milligrams.. In addition, the WHO report also warns of possible toxic ingredients that these products can concentrate and are equally harmful to the lungs. Consequently, consumers are advised to stop using these substitute cigarettes until research is carried out to guarantee their safety and quality.

The medical-scientific community advises for the moment to continue using other smoking cessation products that can be purchased in pharmacies and that do not involve health risks, such as chewing gum or nicotine patches .