Britanski poslanci: e-cigarete so za okoli 95 % manj škodljive od običajnih
Based on various opinions of the British and foreign institutions, the UK Parliament decided to conduct its own investigation on the facts about e-cigarettes, in particular on health risks and their importance for smoking cessation. The Science and Technology Committee of the UK Parliament received over 100 written contributions between January and May 2018; it organized five public sessions and questioned 25 witnesses, and recently submitted a final report on e-cigarettes to the Parliament plenary session.
In a summary of the report’s conclusions, the Committee noted that e-cigarettes represent an opportunity to promote the already-present trend of decline in smoking, which is one of the biggest causes of premature deaths in the UK. The report states that e-cigarettes are about 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes; they among other things don’t contain tar and carbon monoxide, which are considered the most dangerous ingredients of “traditional” cigarettes. According to the Committee, due to the small quantity of smoke or vapour, it is difficult to establish the harmfulness of passive smoking of e-cigarettes.
Smokers should be encouraged to quit smoking or at least switch to e-cigarettes
Nevertheless, there are uncertainties, especially with regard to the effects on health in the long term, as e-cigarettes are available only for a short period of time. In its report, the Committee also states that the risks of not implementing e-cigarettes should be taken into account, especially as an alternative to more harmful smoking of conventional cigarettes. In the opinion of the Committee, existing smokers should in any case be encouraged to quit smoking, but if that is not possible, switching to e-cigarettes is in place.
The Committee also concluded that the tobacco market regulatory framework should take into account the varying degree of health risks that various tobacco products bring, including in advertising restrictions and taxation. Legislation should therefore pursue the goal the society wants to achieve: less smoking and the promotion of the use and acceptability of e-cigarettes or new tobacco products, if that means less harmful effects on human health.
The full report is available on the UK Parliament’s website: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmsctech/505/50502.htm
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