A healthy alternative to cigarettes?

Smoking has long been a popular, and addictive pastime for both young and old. Cigarettes, pipe tobacco, cigars, hubbly bubbly – take your pick. As with most other things in today’s modern age,

smoking too is becoming technologically advanced. The newest innovation in smoking is the e-cigarette, which is steadily gaining in popularity. It is being marketed as an alternative to smoking,

but what exactly is it and is it bad for your health?

An electronic cigarette consists of a lithium battery (much like a cell phone’s) that converts a liquid into a mist or vapour that is inhaled. Nothing is burnt, which means there is no ash and none of

the smell traditionally associated with burning tobacco. The liquid is propylene glycol, an additive that has been approved for use in food (fog machines in nightclubs also use it). Consumers can

buy the liquids in varying degrees of nicotine, and a non-nicotine version is also available. The range of flavours make it a popular smoking alternative.

Walter van Aswegen, co-owner of eCiggies, said that their products contained no nicotine, tar, or any of the other 4000 harmful chemicals found in cigarettes. The most popular flavours, according

to him, are menthol, cherry and tobacco flavour, and consumers range between the ages of 21 and 50, although he said some clients were over 80.

Doran Sooryalall, a regular e-cigarette user, said it was a good alternative to regular cigarettes. “It gives you the same feeling as a real cigarette, but there is no tar and no smoke, and it’s cheaper in

the long run. It’s a much better way to smoke.”

Health-wise, the jury’s still out. Nicotine is always addictive, but the biggest advantage to e-cigarettes is the absence of all the combustion-related chemicals that are created when a cigarette, cigar,

pipe or hubbly is lit. These, and a host of other toxins like tar, carbon monoxide, arsenic and lead, are not present in e-cigarettes. Manufacturers, however, prefer to err on the side of caution. Van

Aswegen emphasised that they did not sell eCiggies to anyone younger than 18, not even their zero nicotine e-liquid, and that his company did not recommend the use of e-cigarettes by non-

smokers. He also warned that there were many people who were mixing and selling e-liquid without the proper knowledge or certification.

Cansa states that the e-cigarette has not been proven to be a healthy alternative to cigarette smoking, and they are right, as much more research is needed to reach a safe and well-considered

conclusion. Van Aswegen, however, made the point that so far, no international research has managed to definitively prove that e-cigarettes are harmful to one’s health. At the moment, there is

insufficient evidence to make a definitive statement as to its safety. South African consumers will have to weigh up the pros and the cons for themselves.