Are electronic cigarettes less dangerous than smoking? In fact, professionals in this field have divided this question into two parts, as some, including the Public Health Authority of England, consider electronic cigarettes to be less harmful and can help people stop smoking.
Others, including the European Respiratory Society, argue that evidence suggests that e-cigarettes undermine people's attempts to quit smoking rather than help them.
The bacteria usually found in the lungs become more harmful and cause more infections when exposed to electronic cigarette vapor, which can lead to diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, according to the Australian "Conflection" website.
The site showed that in recent years the number of people using electronic cigarettes has increased significantly. According to figures issued by the World Health Organization, the number increased from 7 million smokers in 2011 to 41 million in 2018.
the students
This increase is not only due to the movement of smokers to the use of an electronic cigarette. According to a recent American study, about 27% of high school students use an electronic cigarette, even though they were not smokers.
The site pointed out that the presence of a large number of flavors, as well as the electronic cigarette marketing on social media, made this habit more socially acceptable among young people. For this large group of non-smoking e-cigarette users, the safety comparison between smoking and the use of an electronic cigarette is not important. Therefore, they need more information about the direct effects of the e-cigarette.
More toxic
The site said that bacteria usually found in the lungs become more harmful and cause more infections when using electronic cigarettes, and play a major role in the development of smoking-related lung diseases, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.
Show that in chronic infections, bacteria are often found in large groups called thin biofilms. These membranes pose a real challenge when it comes to getting rid of infection, as it is difficult to remove and is more resistant to antibiotics and more difficult for the body's immune system to treat it.
The researchers found that exposure to cigarette smoke or electronic cigarettes led to an increase in the formation of biofilms. Moreover, when these bacteria were exposed to smoke and electronic cigarettes, they increased inflammation of the lung cells. In some cases, the effect from exposure to electronic cigarette vapor exceeds that of traditional cigarette smoke.
Exposing the bacteria to e-cigarette smoke may make the already harmful bacteria more dangerous and assume the same risks as exposure to cigarette smoke, the website said.
On the other hand, we urgently need to know more about the long-term effect of electronic cigarettes not only on the lungs, but also on bacteria that may contribute to the development of diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.