A study by Cancer Research UK on the urine and saliva samples of long-term vapers reveals that e-cigarettes are “far safer than smoking”.

In the research, scientists deduced that e-cigarettes tend to be less harmful—both in terms of use and consumption— in comparison to traditional cigarettes.

As reported by huffingtonpost.co.uk, researchers also noticed that individuals who shifted to e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) from smoking regular cigarettes had a lower risk of cancer and lower amounts of toxic chemicals in their body than people who stuck with normal tobacco cigarettes.

GAGASAN: Mencegah Politisasi dalam Penetapan Status Bencana Nasional

A further study on conventional smokers who simultaneously used e-cigarettes suggested that a total switch from the latter to the former is needed to see the positive difference in levels of toxins in the body.

Senior lecturer in the department of epidemiology and public health at University College London Lion Shahab, said, “Our study adds to existing evidence showing that e-cigarettes and NRT are far safer than smoking, and suggests that there is a very low risk associated with their long-term use. We’ve shown that the levels of toxic chemicals in the body from e-cigarettes are considerably lower than suggested in previous studies using simulated experiments.”

In the hope of breaking the addiction of smokers in the UK as well as around the world, experts believe that e-cigarettes could work well as a nicotine replacement that can potentially reduce the amount of tobacco-related deaths. 

In Indonesia, the popularity of e-cigarettes is similarly on the rise. However, many of the users are still doubting the product’s safety and its effectiveness. Prof. Achmad Syawqie, founder and Chairman of Indonesia’s Public Health Observer Association (YPKP Indonesia) welcomes the finding as his organization is currently conducting a similar type of research for users in Indonesia.

According to Prof. Syawqie, research on e-cigarette will help the Government to regulate the product in the future, “e-cigarette such as heated tobacco product has the potential to help smokers quit as long as we can determine its parameter of safety.”

If utilized with safety precautions, Prof. Syawqie believes e-cigarette will cater for smokers who wish to stop smoking but constantly failed due to their addiction, “E-cigarette may be more effective compared to other smoking cessation product, because it allows smokers to feel the sensation of smoking but with reduced risk” he added.