Does this make sense to you?
Would it make sense to ban something which may cause some harm in favour of something that we know for sure does cause a lot of harm?
That’s what is proposed with electronic cigarettes.
Electronic cigarettes have been smoked for long enough and in enough quantities that we know they do not have negative effects in the short term.
We know that the ingredients are far less harmful than cigarettes. Propylene Glycerol, the main ingredient, has been extensively tested (Dr Mauray Lauderson says the two compounds have “excelent safety records”), and nicotine, while highly addictive, certainly comes nowhere close to being as harmful as tobacco smoke.
We cannot be absolutely certain as to the long term effects of repeated use propylene glycerole over a long period of time. We probably won’t know for many years, or possibly never, as it looks increasingly likely the product will be banned.
Compare This to Tobacco
We are very sure of the harm that tobacco causes.
We know that tobaccoc contains Arsenic, Formaldehyde, Ammonia, Acetone, Hydrogen Cyanide, Carbon Monoxide and thousands of other chemicals.
We know that tobacco causes or contributes towards lung cancer, oral cancer, throat cancer, heart disease, infertility, impotence, emphysemea, atherosclerosis, peripheral vascular disease, strokes, periodontal disease, brittle bones, eye cataract, stomach ulcers, erectile dysfunction, cot deaths, miscarriage, diabetes and other diseases.
We know that tobacco will kill one in two of long term smokers.
With 1.2 billion smokers in the world today, and very generously assuming that half of those will give up before smoking causes them serious harm, we know it will kill 300,000,000 people alive today.
Yet no-one is suggesting we ban the lucractive tobacco industry.
Instead public health campaigners, having already banned the safest form of smokeless tobacco there is throughout most of Europe (more dangerous forms remain readily available), are now calling for the banning of electronic cigarettes.
There is a comments section below here. Would any public health campaigner please explain the logic of this to me?
Like this post? Keep up to date with us by signing up for our email updates.
Subscribe via RSS