Harm perceptions of electronic cigarettes and nicotine: A nationally representative cross-sectional survey of young people in Great Britain

Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disability worldwide (WHO, 2005; WHO, 2015), and while it is primarily the nicotine in cigarettes that is addictive, most of the health harms of smoking are caused by other constituents of tobacco smoke (Benowitz, 2009). Electronic (e-)cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat a solution usually containing nicotine, flavourings, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerin to produce an inhalable aerosol. As e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco and do not involve combustion, current evidence suggests they are less harmful to both users and others relative to tobacco cigarettes (Czogala et al., 2014; Hajek et al., 2014; Harrell et al., 2014; McAuley et al., 2012; McNeill et al., 2018; McNeill et al., 2015; Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians, 2016).

Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - October 3, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Katherine East, Leonie S. Brose, Ann McNeill, Hazel Cheeseman, Deborah Arnott, Sara C. Hitchman Tags: Full length article Source Type: research