Our Blogs

Are E-Cigarettes Safe? Why Some Are Moving to Ban Them.
May 24, 2014 by Adler Markoff & Associates
Electronic cigarettes or “e-cigarettes” have risen to popularity within the last few years, although early forms of e-cigarettes date back to 1963. These devices have become so commonplace that it would not be surprising to sit next to someone on the metro or walk past someone on the street who was smoking one.

Electronic cigarettes are battery powered and contain flavored nicotine that the user inhales. Some claim that using e-cigarettes can help people stop smoking while those on the other end of the spectrum tout the potential health risks.

Are e-cigarettes safe?

Health experts are still unsure, but some don’t plan on waiting around to find out.

Many are moving to ban electronic cigarettes because of the potential adverse health effects. As Josh Moskowitz, director of the health department at UC Berkley who played a role in banning e-cigarettes on campus, says “Rather than adopting a potentially risky product, it’s safer to ban these products on the campuses as a precautionary approach.”

When a product’s safety is called into question, many – like Moskowitz – believe the answer is to assume that there could be adverse health effects and only allow the product’s use until proven otherwise.

Many in other camps still disagree. No one can deny that e-cigarettes are tobacco-less, it’s what is in them that concerns some in the health industry. As of now, there is no hard medical evidence to indicate that the chemical composition of the liquid in e-cigarettes is harmful. If e-cigarette use did not look so much like smoking, many wonder if there would be safety concerns at all.

While there may or may not be danger in the chemical makeup of e-cigarettes, what may be dangerous about them goes deeper than the object itself. E-cigarettes, if perceived as appealing, may consequently make smoking regular tobacco cigarettes seem appealing.

The e-cigarette safety debate is predominantly speculative at this point, but if you would like to learn more about recent safety research, studies and facts about these devices, we encourage you to visit the following links:

WebMD’s “E-Cigarettes Under Fire”
MNT’s “What Are E-Cigarettes?”
NPR’s “Electronic Cigarettes and the Appearance of Smoking”