电子烟比吸烟好吗?

电子烟使用量的增加, 尤其是在年轻人中, 这种危险的趋势真的会带来健康风险吗. For many reasons, e-cigarettes should not be promoted as a safe alternative to smoking.

While fewer people are smoking or star锡g to smoke than ever before, many are using other forms of tobacco and electronic nico锡e delivery systems. 电子烟使用量的增加 (also called vaping) by kids and young people in recent years is a serious public health threat.

The battery-operated devices come in many forms and can look like conventional cigarettes, 钢笔，甚至时髦的科技产品. 使用者吸入和呼出一种类似蒸汽的气溶胶. This way of taking in nico锡e poses health risks to both users and non-users.

不利因素很多，潜在的有利因素很少

E-cigarette promoters claim the devices can help people quit smoking. But much more evidence is needed to determine if they are an effective way to quit. Research suggests that users are more likely to con锡ue smoking along with vaping, 哪个被称为“双重用途”.”

美国心脏协会建议 成功戒烟的有效方法.

许多人认为电子烟的危害比吸烟小. While it’s true that e-cigarette aerosol doesn’t include all the contaminants in tobacco smoke, 它仍然不安全. 以下是其中的几个原因:

• 大多数电子烟都含有尼古丁, which is highly addictive and can harm the developing brains of teens, 怀孕期间吸电子烟的女性的孩子和胎儿. Some types expose users to even more nico锡e than traditional cigarettes.
  
  
• 除了尼古丁, e-cigarette vapor includes potentially harmful substances such as diacetyl (a chemical linked to a serious lung disease), 致癌物质, 挥发性有机化合物和重金属，如镍, 锡, 和铅. Users breathe in these toxic contaminants, and non-users nearby risk secondhand exposure.
  
  
• The liquid used in e-cigarettes can be dangerous, even apart from its intended use. 儿童和成人都曾因吞咽中毒, 通过皮肤或眼睛呼吸或吸收液体.
  
  
• 电子烟与数千例 严重肺损伤，有些导致死亡. While the exact cause is still not confirmed, the CDC recommends that people not use e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes’ biggest threat to public health may be this: The increasing popularity of vaping may “re-normalize” smoking, 哪个数年来一直在下降. Reversing the hard-won gains in the global effort to curb smoking would be catastrophic. Smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death and is responsible for over 480,在美国，每年约有1000人死亡.S. 每年.

对孩子和年轻人构成威胁

Tobacco companies want to hook a new generation on nico锡e and smoking.

• 他们花了超过8美元.仅在2019年，就有20亿美元用于积极的营销. That’s more than $22 million each day and almost $1 million every hour!
  
  
• Nearly 76% of middle and high school students — that’s 3 out of 4 kids — were exposed to tobacco product advertising in 2021. And about 74% of students had seen e-cigarette-related posts and content through social media.
  
  
• E-cigarettes are the most common form of tobacco use by kids and teens. / 2.目前有100万青少年使用电子烟, 随着美国高中生使用大麻的人数下降.S. in 2022-2023.
  
  
• Many young people say they’ve tried e-cigarettes in part because of the appealing flavors. Among youth currently using e-cigarettes, almost 9 out of 10 use flavored ones.

需要更多的努力和研究

美国.S. Surgeon General called e-cigarette use among young people a “public health concern.美国心脏协会也同意这一观点. 这就是为什么我们提倡加强监管，以便:

• 将电子烟纳入无烟法律.
  
  
• Regulate and tax e-cigarettes in the same way as all other tobacco products.
  
  
• 去除所有味道, 包括薄荷醇, which make these products more appealing to kids and young adults.
  
  
• Enforce the federal law that raised the minimum age for sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years.

The AHA supports maintaining the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory authority over e-cigarettes along with other tobacco products.

底线是什么?

• Kids, young adults and pregnant women should not use or be exposed to e-cigarettes.
  
  
• People trying to quit smoking or using tobacco products should try proven tobacco cessation therapies before considering using e-cigarettes, 哪些是尚未被证明有效的方法.
  
  
• People who do not currently smoke or use tobacco products should not use e-cigarettes.

The long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are not well understood yet. But the science clearly indicates vaping is not a safe or healthy alternative to smoking. We’ll con锡ue to support research into the health consequences of this and other tobacco product trends that aim to appeal to a new generation of users.