Chan 1

Jeffrey Chan

Malcolm Campbell

English 1104

1 April 2017

Electronic Cigarettes: A Healthier Alternative to Traditional Cigarettes

Every year cigarettes claim more than 480,000 lives per year whereas there has never

been a medically documented death related to the use of electronic cigarettes (Smoking &

Tobacco Use). Electronic cigarettes have recently started to gain popularity in our society. More

and more people are starting to stray away from traditional cigarettes and beginning to use

electronic cigarettes. Although electronic cigarette usage is picking up momentum, it is still not

socially acceptable to use them in public. Smoking cigarettes has become normalized in our

society so that when people see others smoking a cigarette outside, they dont think much of it.

On the contrary, if people saw someone using an electronic cigarette outside, they like to think of

them negatively and often say negative remarks about them. examples Because the electronic Comment [CJ1]: List examples inside
Deleted: .
cigarette is currently such a heavily debated topic, it is vital that we ask ourselves one main

question, are electronic cigarettes actually safe, or are they just another bad trend that our

society has accepted?

In order to know if electronic are actually safe, we need to understand what they are and

how they work. Electronic cigarettes are battery powered devices that warm up coils inside an

atomizer to temperatures so hot that it turns the liquid inside into an aerosol form that the user

then inhales (E-Cigarettes and Lung Health). The vaporized liquid that the user is inhaling often

contain four main ingredients which are nicotine, flavoring, propylene glycol, and vegetable

glycerin. While this is a very textbook definition of how electronic cigarettes work, almost all
 Chan 2

electronic cigarettes revolve around this basic concept. There are currently thousands of different

electronic cigarette products ranging from batteries, modular devices, atomizers, coils, wicks,

juice, and other miscellaneous items. Since the introduction of electronic cigarettes to the public,

there has been countless contradicting studies about exactly how safe they are to use.

On the anti-electronic cigarette side of the debate, the American Lung Association

believes that, E-cigarettes are a tobacco product and that in order to quit smoking, users should

seek other alternatives such as their Quitters circle and Freedom from Smoking program. Comment [CJ2]: Elaborate further on these programs that
you listed, what are they, who runs them, how they work,
success rates?, etcThe
American Lung Association urges current smokers that are trying to quit smoking to talk to their
Deleted: The

doctors because they can be a key resource if utilized correctly. The doctor can help with many

of the symptoms that users get when they initially quit smoking cigarettes. This usually includes

urges to smoke, depressed mood, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, and a whole slew of other

symptoms. Doctors can help with many of these symptoms by prescribing the patient with drugs

such as Varenicline and bupropion. Varenicline is a prescription drug that helps people quit

smoking by working on two levels, it works by interfering with the nicotine receptors inside the

brain and then neutralizes the effects of nicotine( starting to get off topic / try to trim down this

paragraph). Users wont be able to get the initial kick of pleasure coming the release of Comment [CJ3]: Getting off topic / trim down paragraph

endorphins when they smoke a cigarette. In addition, users also wont be able to get the buzz

from a nicotine rush when they smoke. All of the supposed benefits from smoking cigarettes

have now been rendered useless therefore making users less inclined to smoke a cigarette since it

is pointless to do so. Bupropion is a norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitor, this means that

it blocks the absorption of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain. It works similarly to

Varenicline by not allowing the user to get the pleasure of smoking a cigarette. Although
 Chan 3

Bupropion has been proven to help with smoking cessation, the exact reason as to why it helps

users quit is still unknown.

Another argument that many anti-electronic cigarette critics bring up is the rising trend of

underage electronic cigarette usage. The U.S Surgeon General issued a groundbreaking report

called E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults. This report stated that E-cigarettes

are now the most commonly used tobacco product among youth in the United States. Children

should neither have access to any form of tobacco product nor be exposed to second hand usage Comment [CJ4]:
Comment [CJ5R4]:
from both electronic cigarettes and traditional cigarettes. A study showed that roughly 25.3% of

all high school teens are using any forms of tobacco and from the same graph, 16% of high

school teens are current electronic cigarette users (Youth and Tobacco Use).

Underage electronic cigarette usage should be stopped immediately because of the many

health hazards nicotine imposes. The development of the human brain begins from the moment Comment [CJ6]: Example of the health hazards??

someone is born until they are roughly 25 years old. During that time, if the brain is exposed to

any type of harmful chemical, such a nicotine, the childs brain may not fully develop. Exposure

to nicotine can harm brain development and therefore cause many physical and mental health

risks (E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults, 5). Because some teens are

introducing nicotine into their lives at such a young age, it may develop into a lifelong habit.

Nicotine has also been proven to affect maternal and fetal health during pregnancy, and may

result in low birth weights, early delivery and even stillbirth (E-Cigarettes and Lung Health).

Apart from the harmful effects of nicotine, researchers have found a few potentially

harmful ingredients inside e-liquid. The three main potentially dangerous chemicals researchers

have found inside e-liquids are diacetyl, acetyl propionyl, and acetoin. Diacetyl is a chemical that

is used in e-liquid for flavoring, it has a taste that is similar to butter and is commonly used in
 Chan 4

dessert flavored e-liquids. Diacetyl was found to be potentially dangerous because it has been

found to be associated with a disease called popcorn lung. Popcorn lung is the scarring of the

sacs inside the lung called the alveoli, which in turn thickens and narrows the airways and often

causes coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Acetyl propionyl and acetoin are commonly

used for a wider range of flavors such as strawberry and butterscotch. Exposure to these

chemicals have been tested on rats and researchers found out that when exposed to these two

chemicals for a long period of time, the rats developed airway fibrosis (Morgan et al. 2012).

On the contrary, there are many studies which show that electronic cigarettes are a much

safer alternative compared to traditional cigarettes. One study from Dr. Konstantinos E.

Farsalinos and Dr. Riccardo Polosa stated that Current available evidence indicates that Comment [CJ7]: Who are they and whats their reputation
like?
electronic cigarettes are by far a less harmful alternative to smoking and significant health

benefits are expected in smokers who switch from tobacco to electronic cigarettes. They believe

that electronic cigarettes are dangerous, but not as dangerous as traditional cigarettes because

there is no combustion involved in using electronic cigarettes. Combustion of tobacco and the

other additives that are added in cigarettes is a lot more dangerous than using electronic

cigarettes. There are many known carcinogenic compounds that are found in traditional

cigarettes however all the supposedly carcinogenic compounds found in electronic cigarettes are

still up for debate because of the improper way of testing for data.

In addition to Dr. Farsalinos and Dr. Riccardos study, another study titled E-cigarettes

around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review claimed that

electronic cigarettes are 95% safer than traditional cigarettes and that nearly half of the

population, 44.8%, didnt realize that electronic cigarettes are a much safer alternative to

traditional cigarettes (E-Cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark
 Chan 5

review). This study also stated that there is currently no evidence that proves electronic

cigarettes usage is linked to people smoking cigarettes as they get older. Because the public isnt

very well educated on electronic cigarettes, many people still believe that electronic cigarettes

are either just as bad, if not worse for you. Researchers from ASH Smokefree in Great Britain

conducted a survey where they asked people whether electronic cigarettes are equally or more

harmful than smoking, the results were that 22.1% of participants thought electronic cigarettes

were either just as harmful if not worse than traditional cigarettes. Another similar study called

the Criterion validity of measures of perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes and smokeless

tobacco compared to cigarettes, also tested the publics perception to the amount of harm from

smokeless tobacco and electronic cigarettes compared to traditional cigarettes. In order to

conduct a study that accurately represented the general population, the researchers gathered

people to take a survey that measured direct and indirect perceptions of harm. The survey had

five main choices which were much less harmful, less harmful, just as harmful, more harmful,

and much more harmful. In order to stray from bias, the researchers used direct and indirect

questions, for example, when being direct, the researchers asked, compared to smoking

cigarettes, would you say that electronic cigarettes are. . .. When the researchers were being

indirect, they asked questions that were broader without a direct comparison such as, how

harmful do you think each of the following is to a persons health? The study concluded that

only 26% of adults when asked directly, rated electronic cigarettes as less harmful than

traditional cigarettes. This study proved how a great percentage of the adult population, around

74%, have the incorrect perception about electronic cigarettes thus causing many people to stray

from using electronic cigarettes as a mean of quitting.

 Chan 6

New studies and experiments have proven that electronic cigarette usage has one of the

highest successful rates of quitting cigarettes out of all the forms of smoking cessation tools.

Professor Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing at Public Health English said E-

cigarettes are not completely risk free but when compared to smoking, evidence shows they

carry just a fraction of the harm. The problem is that people increasingly think they are at least as

harmful and this may be keeping millions of smokers from quitting. Local stop smoking services

should look to support e-cigarette users in their journey to quitting completely. Professor

Fentons statement speaks in volume because there have been many studies conducted which all

augments his claim. Although electronic cigarette advocates have been trying to let the public

know that electronic cigarettes have been proven to be safer than cigarettes, their efforts usually

end up in vain because big and powerful companies such as Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, and the

FDA tries their hardest to shut them down.

The electronic cigarette industry has been hit with many hardships such as unjustifiable

taxes and complete bans on devices e-liquids. One of the most detrimental laws for the electronic

cigarette industry has been the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This law

was set in motion on August 8, 2016 and stated that the Food & Drug Administration will take

vapor products under their jurisdiction and regulate all products related to electronic cigarettes,

this contains items such as batteries, electronic devices, e-liquid, and many other miscellaneous

items. There was also a freeze placed on all products currently on the market, this means that no

new devices can be sold. If this law isnt repealed, it will ban all the products that have not been

introduced to the electronic cigarette market before February 15, 2007. Because more than 99%

of vapor products that current users are using arent from way back then, the electronic cigarette

industry will ultimately fail.

 Chan 7

In addition to the current freeze on the market, many states like Pennsylvania are starting

to impose an unjustifiable tax on e-cigarettes. Pennsylvanias 40% tax on anything related to

electronic cigarettes is currently under heavy debate because not only is a 40% tax extremely

high, it makes business owners unable to run their store; they would be selling their products at a Comment [CJ8]: Give a comparison to taxes? 40% is how
much compared to things like alcohol or tobacco..
loss. To add fuel to the flame, Pennsylvania has also made it illegal to even possess items related

to the electronic cigarette industry from another state. Under section 1207-(A) of Pennsylvania

state law, the ownership of a of any vape device or e-liquid that wasnt bought from a licensed

Pennsylvania dealer is illegal and will result of a fine up to $5,000 or prison time not to exceed

five years. Because of immoral and unjustifiable taxes like these which essentially aim to destroy

the electronic cigarette industry, many electronic cigarette advocates are starting to rebel and

voice their opinions.

After people have examined the research that has been done on electronic cigarettes, they

realized that many of the studies werent exactly accurate, misrepresented data, and were tested

under unsuitable conditions. Most of the studies that puts electronic cigarettes in a negative

spotlight are funded by companies that would benefit from people staying away from electronic

cigarettes. These companies usually include Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, and the FDA, they have

virtually no limitations on funding and have been known to pay researchers to conduct

misleading studies. Elisa K. Tong, an assistant professor at UC Davis stated that people should

understand how hard the tobacco industry has worked to undermine scientific evidence. In a

nutshell, the tobacco industry and the government earn too much money from taxes and profits to

be willing to sacrifice that kind of money for public health.

Electronic cigarettes may be the one and only highly successful smoking cessation tool

ever invented. Although it is a very a good resource to use to quit smoking, it is up to the people
 Chan 8

to become more educated about the health benefits an electronic cigarette offers over a

traditional cigarette. The electronic cigarette was invented to be used as a smoking cessation tool

and even though teenage electronic cigarette usage rate is currently at its highest, teenage

smoking rates are at its lowest. It is essentially a tradeoff that although more teenagers are using

electronic cigarettes, there are less teenagers smoking traditional cigarettes. Without the people

rebelling against heinous companies such as Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, and the FDA, that try to

keep their customers as addicted as possible and paying off researchers to conduct rigged

experiments, the disappearance of electronic cigarettes will be inevitable.

Despite the negative outlook on electronic cigarettes, they are still a healthier alternative

to traditional cigarettes. Harm reduction isnt a synonym for risk-free; even though electronic

cigarettes can possibly still offer small amounts of harm, it is only a fraction to the amount of

harm that a traditional cigarette will offer. Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in

the United States, with over 480,000 deaths every year. Electronic cigarettes can help reduce that

number by a great deal but it first needs to be put in a positive spotlight. Comment [CJ9]: Ended paper on a hook kinda, give
examples how or reword this statement
 Chan 9

Works Cited

Allen, Joseph G, et al. Flavoring Chemicals in E-Cigarettes: Diacetyl, 2,3-Pentanedione, and Acetoin

in a Sample of 51 Products, Including Fruit-, Candy-, and Cocktail-Flavored E-

Cigarettes. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1

June 2016, ehp.niehs.nih.gov/15-10185/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.

Bonner, James C, et al. Airway Fibrosis in Rats Induced by Vanadium Pentoxide. Airway Fibrosis in

Rats Induced by Vanadium Pentoxide, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 2000,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10645909. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.

E-Cigarettes and Lung Health. American Lung Association, www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-

facts/e-cigarettes-and-lung-health.html. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.

E-Cigarettes around 95% Less Harmful than Tobacco Estimates Landmark Review. Public Health

England, 19 Aug. 2015, www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-

than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.

Martin - Reviewed by a board-certified physician., Terry. How Chantix Helps You Control Nicotine

Cravings. Verywell, 4 Mar. 2017, www.verywell.com/how-chantix-works-2825340. Accessed 4

Apr. 2017.

Smoking & Tobacco Use. Youth and Tobacco Use, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14

Apr. 2016, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_data/tobacco_use/. Accessed

4 Apr. 2017.
 Chan 10

Warner, C, and M Shoaib. How Does Bupropion Work as a Smoking Cessation Aid? Addiction

Biology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 Sept. 2005,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16109583. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.

What Are Withdrawal Symptoms? Quit Victoria, Quit Victoria, www.quit.org.au/about/frequently-

asked-questions/faq-smoking-withdrawal/faq-withdrawal-symptoms.html. Accessed 4 Apr.

2017.

Youth and Tobacco Use. Smoking & Tobacco Use, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14

Apr. 2016, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_data/tobacco_use/. Accessed

4 Apr. 2017.