Study Reveal E-Cigarettes Could Save Millions Of Lives

With news of a proposed ban on electronic cigarette (E-Cig) smoking in public places in Wales, smokers who aspire to quit the habit could be forgiven for wondering what next. Over the last few years, the use of electronic cigarettes in public places has been growing in popularity across Britain and the rest of the world. Considering how difficult it is to kick old habits, many smokers appear to have jumped on the E-Cigs bandwagon in their attempt to quit smoking completely.

According to a recent No Smoking study conducted by Vapourlites, an E Cig company, currently, more than 6 in 10 smokers (i.e. 65%) fail to quit smoking in up to 10 attempts. This gives an indication of how difficult it could be to kick the habit and transform from a regular smoker to a non-smoker, even with the use of E-Cigs. The fact that millions of lives are lost to smoking each year, this figure is actually quite disheartening.

However, what is perhaps more alarming about the results of Vapourlites E-Cig study was the fact that only a third (35%) of participants listed health as the main reason why they wanted to quit smoking. Many others cited concerns including smelling bad and their appearance, cost, peer pressure and having to smoke outside as their motivation for wanting to quit smoking.

E-Cigs Can Still Save Lives

In spite of the rising condemnation of E-Cigs in some quarters, an additional study conducted by the Royal College of Physicians has given some hope to those who are beginning to doubt the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes in their quest. The study estimates that should all smokers in the UK stop smoking cigarettes and take up E-Cigs instead, up to 5 million lives could actually be saved. The reason being that while E-Cigs deliver nicotine to deal with the average smoker’s cravings, harmful substances such as tar, carbon monoxide, arsenic, benzene, cadmium, etc. are not present.

Should E-Cigs Be Banned?

Considering the results of the above studies, the obvious answer to whether electronic cigarettes should be banned is probably NO. However, it is worth noting that more studies need to be done to prove beyond any doubt that as an alternative to smoking real cigarettes, E-Cigs are probably the best option available yet. Like everything else, however, there is also probably more room for improvement.