E-cigarettes not 'safe substitute' for young smokers: New Study

It is not a safer option to swap regular cigarettes with e-cigarettes for young people, claims a new study.

Although heavily promoted as a safer cigarette and an aid to quit smoking, electronic cigarettes and the nicotine they deliver pose particular risks to the developing brains and organs of children. Dean E Schraufnagel, MD at University of Illinois at Chicago, provides a detailed look at the composition and varieties of electronic cigarettes and what makes them so appealing to youths. He described electronic cigarettes as a potential "gateway to addiction," as they are often the first tobacco product a youngster tries, with nicotine dependence a common lead-in to abuse of other addictive substances.

Mary Cataletto, MD, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, State University of New York at Stony Brook said that pediatricians play a critical role in the education of children and families, and are considered an important and reliable source of healthcare information. This review provides practitioners with comprehensive information about the dangers of electronic cigarettes and highlights the vulnerability of children to both the intense marketing surrounding e-cigarettes and their pharmacologic effects.

The review article 'Electronic Cigarettes: Vulnerability of Youth' is published in a peer-reviewed journal Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology.