Despite extensive efforts, smoking remains a modern-day epidemic with profound health consequences. Advent of E-cigarettes (EC) was based on the assumption that by eliminating the toxic chemicals found in combustible tobacco, these products would have less impact on smokers’ health and minimize the health-related consequences and thus a multi-billion industry started in 2003.  Currently, the medical community is divided on its opinion about the use of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation device. The scientific evidence that e-cigarettes are a useful aid for smoking cessation remains limited. Main health concerns about EC usage is the potential for toxic aldehyde emissions, which are known to be formed following heating of the EC-liquid main components propylene glycol and glycerol and other contaminants inhaled by an EC-smoker during a “vaporization” session which can be o-methyl-benzaldehyde, carcinogenic nitrosamines, terpenic compounds such as limonene (which are probably used by the manufacturers as flavoring agents), as well as heavy metal and silicate particles (> 1 μm) including nanoparticles (< 100 nm) . Emerging data suggests that these are a cause of multitude health problems including death. Thus there is an urgent need to implement strict regulation or complete ban on its use.

Keywords: E-cigarette, health  risk, nicotine dependence.

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Dr Rigvardhan

Professor, Dept of Pathology, Saraswati Medical College, Unnao (UP) – 209859, India