E-cigarettes

Health Issue

Electronic or e-cigarettes have been introduced and promoted as a tool for helping smokers quit smoking, or as a less harmful alternative to traditional smoking. Perceived benefits include reduced craving for smoking and less exposure to toxic  components of cigarette smoke (including exposure to second hand smoke). However, a comprehensive assessment of the potential health risks of e-cigarettes remains to be completed. Such an assessment will provide the evidence needed to fully evaluate the potential health risks of e-cigarettes, as well as their efficacy in relation to smoking cessation.     

Recent News Articles

E-cigarette use by children concerns fuelled by research
BBC News‎, Dec 3, 2014

Japan to investigate e-cigarette safety after formaldehyde findings
Justin McCurry, the Guardian, Nov 28, 2014

Ontario moves to regulate e-cigarettes, ban flavoured tobacco
Keith Leslie, the Globe and Mail, Nov 24, 2014

Ontario bans flavoured tobacco, cracks down on e-cigarettes
Robert Benzie, Toronto Star, Nov 24, 2014

Retailers, former smokers blast N.S. law that would restrict e-cigarettes
Keith Doucette, the Canadian Press, Nov 3, 2014

E-cigarettes to be banned in public indoor places in Nova Scotia
CBC News, Oct 24, 2014

Canada Heart and Stroke Foundation wants federal regulation on e-cigarettes
Carly Weeks, the Globe and Mail, Oct 2, 2014

Carly Weeks Reality check: Ottawa failing to take action on e-cigarettes
Carly Weeks, the Globe and Mail, Sep 28, 2014

Useful Links

World Health Organization
Backgrounder on WHO report on regulation of e-cigarettes and similar products

Centers for Disease Prevention and Control – USA
Notes from the Field: Electronic Cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2012

New CDC study finds dramatic increase in e-cigarette-related calls to poison centers

More than a quarter-million youth who had never smoked a cigarette used e-cigarettes in 2013

National Health Services – UK
E-cigarettes to be regulated as medicines

Health Canada
Health Canada Advises Canadians Not to Use Electronic Cigarettes

Food and Drug Administration, USA
Electronic Cigarettes (e-cigarettes)

Further Reading

1. Gualano MR, Passi S, Bert F, La Torre G, Scaioli G, Siliquini R. Electronic cigarettes: assessing the efficacy and the adverse effects through a systematic review of published studies. J Public Health (Oxf). 2014. (in Eng).Z
   
   
2. Steinberg MB, Zimmermann MH, Delnevo CD, Lewis MJ, Shukla P, Coups EJ, et al. E-cigarette versus nicotine inhaler: comparing the perceptions and experiences of inhaled nicotine devices. J Gen Intern Med. 2014;29:1444-50. (in eng).
   
   
3. Drummond MB, Upson D. Electronic cigarettes. Potential harms and benefits. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2014;11:236-42. (in eng).
   
   
4. Burstyn I. Peering through the mist: systematic review of what the chemistry of contaminants in electronic cigarettes tells us about health risks. BMC Public Health. 2014;14:18. (in eng).
   
   
5. Etter JF, Bullen C. Electronic cigarette: users profile, utilization, satisfaction and perceived efficacy. Addiction. 2011;106:2017-28. (in eng).
   
   
6. Odum LE, O'Dell KA, Schepers JS. Electronic cigarettes: do they have a role in smoking cessation? J Pharm Pract. 2012;25:611-4. (in eng).
   
   
7. Manzoli L, La Vecchia C, Flacco ME, Capasso L, Simonetti V, Boccia S, et al. Multicentric cohort study on the long-term efficacy and safety of electronic cigarettes: study design and methodology. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:883. (in eng).
   
   
8. Johnson SR. Sparking controversy. Rise in e-cigarette use has public health experts questioning their safety, effectiveness as harm-reduction device. Mod Healthc. 2013;43:6-7, 12, 1. (in eng).
   
   
9. Dagaonkar RS, Udwadi ZF. Water pipes and E-cigarettes: new faces of an ancient enemy. J Assoc Physicians India. 2014;62:324-8. (in eng).
   
   
10. Saffari A, Daher N, Ruprecht A, De Marco C, Pozzi P, Boffi R, et al. Particulate metals and organic compounds from electronic and tobacco-containing cigarettes: comparison of emission rates and secondhand exposure. Environ Sci Process Impacts. 2014;16:2259-67. (in eng).
    
    
11. Riker CA, Lee K, Darville A, Hahn EJ. E-cigarettes: promise or peril? Nurs Clin North Am. 2012;47:159-71. (in eng).
    
    
12. Rankin KV. E-cigarettes: What's known, what's unknown. Tex Dent J. 2013;130:446-52. (in eng).
    
    
13. Paradise J. Electronic cigarettes: smoke-free laws, sale restrictions, and the public health. Am J Public Health. 2014;104:e17-8. (in eng).