Jury still out whether vaping is less harmful long term than cigarettes
Health authorities propose a ban on both in public areas
Most smokers probably know that their habit compromises their health and that of those inhaling their smoke. The tobacco industry is supplying alternatives to cigarettes — e-cigarettes and vaporisers — as a safer alternative that does not reduce their profits. But the jury is still out on how healthy the electronic alternatives are. Nicotine is a highly addictive parasympathetic nervous system stimulant, and the foremost reason for cigarette addiction is its dopamine reward feedback when smokers light up. The compound hydrogen cyanide is found in cigarettes. According to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, "cyanide is used in a number of industries and is found at low levels in the air from motor vehicle exhausts. Cyanide is extremely toxic to humans". Chronic (long-term) inhalation exposure of humans to cyanide results primarily in effects on the central nervous system, it says. Other effects in humans include cardiovascular and respiratory effects, an enlarged thyro...
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