Electronic cigarettes offered to pregnant women in London

UK local politicians want to help mothers-to-be quit smoking.

With this in mind, Lambeth London Borough Council, a city council in south London (United Kingdom), has decided to test an original solution.

The elected officials will now offer an electronic cigarette to pregnant women in the locality, reports

, relayed by 

.

The objective is to encourage these future mothers to stop smoking, but also to enable them to save a large sum of money, around 2,300 euros (2,000 pounds sterling).

Low-income households particularly affected

A London elected official recalled the health risks associated with smoking during pregnancy, which largely motivated this decision.

In addition, according to Lambeth London Borough Council, women on low incomes are more likely to smoke when pregnant.

However, the neighborhood concerned has thousands of households living below the poverty line.

Local authorities do not want to encourage the consumption of nicotine, let alone during pregnancy.

But they see this initiative as a boost, an alternative to help future mothers "stop smoking permanently" by switching to electric cigarettes first.

In September, a new study conducted by London researchers revealed that the use of e-cigarettes would be less harmful than conventional cigarettes.

“Levels of exposure to carcinogens and other toxic substances are significantly lower in people who vape than in those who smoke,” according to a researcher.

But not all of the long-term effects of vaping are known at this point.

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