The results of a study on e-cigarettes have yielded some slightly shocking findings. One in three adults do not know that e-cigarettes pose a risk to children.  

                                                                                                               

In a study of over 4,000 people, by the American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 per cent of adults said they believed e-cigarette vapour posed “little harm” or only “some harm” to children. Just over five per cent believed that e-cigarettes no posed “no harm” to children.

 

Researchers surveyed 4,127 adults aged 18 or older and asked them to consider the potential harm of all electronic vapour products including e-cigarettes as well as e-hookahs, hookah pens, vape pens and e-cigars.

 

Previous smoking behaviours appeared to influence how the respondents perceived the threat of e-cigarette vapour to children.

 

Those who smoked e-cigarettes were 18 times more likely to believe that the second-hand vapours posed no harm to children compared to those who had never smoked an e-cigarette. Former e-cigarette users were seven times more likely to have this opinion.

 

 

Those who had smoked traditional cigarettes were also more likely to believe that e-cigarettes posed no harm to children compared to those who had never smoked.

 

One particularly interesting finding was that men were more likely than women to think the vapour emitted by e-cigarettes posed no harm to children.

 

While they may not be as harmful as traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes do emit harmful vapours and chemicals. The long-term effects of e-cigarette use and exposure are not yet known as they have only become popular in recent years.

 

Researchers were alarmed by the fact that two-fifths of those surveyed thought that e-cigarettes cause “little or no harm” and that one-third did not know whether they cause harm.

 

They warn that e-cigarette vapour can pose a greater risk to infants and children because of their lower body weight and their developing respiratory systems.

 

 

The study concludes: “Efforts are warranted to educate the public about the health risks of second-hand e-cigarette aerosol, particularly for children.”

 

E-cigarettes have often been marketed as a “healthier” alternative to traditional tobacco products.

 

Smoking an e-cigarette, or “vaping” as it is commonly referred to as, involves heating a liquid inside the e-cigarette which creates an aerosol. The liquid is usually comprised of nicotine, additives and flavourings. The smoker then inhales the aerosol like a cigarette.

 

What do you think about these findings, mums? Are e-cigarettes a concern for you? Let us know your thoughts.

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