Are e-cigs really safe?

Thankfully we are a non-smoking household - I have strong views on smoking and to be frank, I think it's a very selfish habit - it angers me when people smoke near my kids, or outside shop doors etc - I really don't want them breathing in your carcinogenic cr^p thanks very much! If you want to poison yourself, go ahead, but please stop sharing it with everyone else around you, particularly children! Take a moment to consider the impact your dirty habit is having on the world itself - is it fair to destroy part of the rainforest just so you can have a cigarette? 

With smoking being such a nasty thing, not only of the effect on the smoker's body, anyone unlucky enough to be close by and the effect it has on the planet, I'm always surprised that some of the kindest and most caring people I meet are smokers! I guess that's the power of addiction being stronger than common sense for you!

I'm not entirely sure where my thoughts lie with these e-cigs that are popping up everywhere, their ingredients - while notable better than a cigarette, are still dubious and giving a false sense of "healthy" absolutely no full testing or regulations in the UK has been carried out on them yet and the few that have been tested contain so many nasties.  Some contain tobacco-specific nitrosamines(TSNAs), known cancer-causing agents, diethylene glycol, a poisonous and hygroscopic liquid not to mention nicotine in some cartridges which claimed to be nicotine-free.

The only worldwide testing so far has been conducted by the American FDA which shows "Further concerns were raised over inconsistent amounts of nicotine delivered when drawing on the device. In some e-cigarettes, Tobacco-specific impurities suspected of being harmful to humans –anabasine, myosmine, and ß-nicotyrine – were detected in the majority of the samples tested. It is not clear if these chemicals were detectable in exhaled vapour." 

At least people using them are trying to make a difference but it would be ignorant to assume e-cigs are a safe alternative - they still carry poisons, toxins and cancer causing chemicals, just possibly at a smaller amount.

I think it is interesting to look at how other countries in the EU are treating these 

"Looking at the regulations for some of most popular European family holiday destinations - Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Greece, it is acceptable to e-smoke here! And with 29% of Brits* planning on staying in the UK you will be pleased to know its completely legal and permitted in all locations in the UK.

Note though if you are travelling to Turkey, Sweden, Belguim, Austria, Denmark or Norway, they have issued outright bans! " 

I think it's always useful to note how the Scandinavian countries are treating things, given their ban on other nasties such as Parabens (read my problem with parabens article) in children's toiletries - something that baffles me as to why we haven't followed suit in the UK!

For now, at least I see e-cigs as a positive step for those who want to stop smoking but please, be aware of what's actually in them and please don't make others breathe in your vapours!   

*Money Supermarket Travel Trends Tracker 2013

Emma in Bromley xx