Translations:ENDS Respiratory System/22/en

Expert opinion: There is growing evidence to support the relative safety of E-Cigarette (EC) emission aerosols for the respiratory tract compared to tobacco smoke. Public Health England estimated, on the basis of a review of 185 studies, that vaping an e-cigarette is likely to be at least 95% less harmful than smoking a regular cigarette. In 2016, the Royal College of Physicians reaffirmed this figure, estimating the risk of long-term inhalation of e-cigarette aerosol to be unlikely to exceed 5% of the risk associated with long-term cigarette smoking. This review article shows that although some potential effects on respiratory cell types can be shown in vitro, and low levels of chronic irritation of the respiratory tract can be anticipated at certain levels of vaping, these effects are much less than those of smoking. The clinical evidence confirms that ECs are unlikely to raise significant health concerns for the respiratory tract under normal conditions of use. Former smokers using and smokers intending to use ECs as a substitute for smoking should receive correct information about residual risks and potential benefits of these products. Promoting further access to ECs may offer an opportunity to reduce or prevent some of the otherwise inevitable burden of respiratory morbidity and mortality caused by tobacco smoking In an Expert Review in Respiratory Medicine article published about 7 years ago [Caponnetto P, Campagna D, Papale G, et al. The emerging phenomenon of electronic cigarettes. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2012 Feb; 6(1):63–74.., we discussed several important research developments and future avenues for e-cigarette science. In the authors’ view, those expert opinions have been substantiated by the growing body of evidence. We therefore reiterate our prediction that EC use is the most effective method of substituting tobacco cigarettes for those smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit and we are now confident that current vaping products are much less harmful than conventional cigarettes as well as earlier EC designs.