Use e-cigarettes to quit smoking? Be careful! E-cigarettes are also harmful, and they contain drugs that harm the post-00s

Starting from July 1 this year, my country officially listed synthetic cannabinoids and other new psychoactive substances as a whole category. According to China Youth Daily, in the evening of April this year, the 120 Command and Dispatch Center of the Nanjing Emergency Medical Center received a call for help. Several young people had symptoms of dizziness, panic, and irritability at the same time. Before that, they all smoked an "electronic cigarette" purchased online.

At the beginning of this year, the drug control department of Guiyang City, Guizhou Province received clues that some people fainted after smoking "electronic cigarettes"...

So what kind of substances in "electronic cigarettes" are causing the problem?

E-cigarettes are actually cigarettes. They use electronic heating to convert the e-liquid into a vaporized chemical mixture, or aerosol, which is transmitted to the respiratory system.

The "2018 China Adult Tobacco Survey Report" shows that the use rate of e-cigarettes in my country has risen to 0.9%, and the number of people using e-cigarettes is about 10.35 million. Among them, the proportion of young people using e-cigarettes is relatively high, and the proportion in the 15-24 age group is 1.5%, which is the highest among all age groups.

This year, the National Health Commission released the "China Smoking Health Report 2020" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report 2020") in Beijing, which added a new chapter on the health hazards of e-cigarettes, pointing out that "there is sufficient evidence that e-cigarettes are unsafe."

1. E-cigarettes contain harmful substances that cause cancer

The 2020 report points out that e-cigarette liquids contain harmful substances. Goniewicz of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, an institution specializing in cancer research, published a study in 2014 that measured aldehyde compounds in 12 e-cigarette samples, with a detection rate of 100% for formaldehyde, 100% for acetaldehyde, 91.67% for acrolein, and 100% for o-methylbenzaldehyde.

These substances belong to low molecular weight aldehyde and ketone compounds, a class of harmful substances that have a strong irritating effect on the respiratory system. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are classified as Class 1 and Class 2B carcinogens respectively by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

2. E-cigarette liquids basically contain nicotine

E-cigarette liquids basically contain nicotine. The 2020 Report points out that nicotine, as the main ingredient of e-cigarettes, not only makes users dependent, but also has adverse effects on the development of the fetus during pregnancy and may cause cardiovascular disease. Nicotine exposure to fetuses and adolescents may have long-term adverse consequences on brain development and may lead to learning disabilities and anxiety disorders.

3. Secondhand aerosol contained in electronic cigarette aerosol is a new source of air pollution

Laboratory research evidence also shows that e-cigarette aerosol contains harmful substances and secondhand aerosol is a new source of air pollution.

The 2020 Report points out that when the concentration of aerosols reaches a high enough level, it will pose a threat to human health, especially to asthma patients and people with respiratory diseases. Studies have shown that e-cigarette smoke can increase the concentration of propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, fine particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the air.

The 2020 report also suggests that the metal content in e-cigarette aerosol may be higher than that in combustible tobacco cigarettes.

Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes often have different flavors added to them. The irrational use of flavoring agents in e-cigarettes will increase the harm to e-cigarette users.

Moreover, the harm will be cumulative if cigarettes and e-cigarettes are used at the same time.

3. Teenagers are more likely to smoke cigarettes after using e-cigarettes

The 2020 report also assesses the impact of e-cigarettes on teenagers: using e-cigarettes may make people more likely to use cigarettes, a phenomenon that is particularly evident among teenagers. In addition to attracting teenagers to use cigarettes, e-cigarettes themselves also have adverse effects on the physical and mental health and growth of teenagers.

In some advertisements in the circle of friends, "high" and "pilot" are both slang terms among drug users. "High" refers to the short-lived "high" produced after the drug is inhaled into the human body; while "pilot" in the drug user community generally refers to people who smoke marijuana exclusively.

Therefore, the "high-energy" e-cigarettes in some friends' circles should be directly called "marijuana e-cigarettes", which are mixed with tetrahydrocannabinol or synthetic cannabinoid-type new psychoactive substances.

Synthetic cannabinoids are artificially synthesized substances similar to natural cannabinoids. They are more harmful and have stronger psychoactive properties. After taking such substances, people will experience dizziness, vomiting, mental confusion, hallucinations, etc. Overdose can cause shock, suffocation, and even sudden death.

Anti-drug propaganda must enter campuses, covering all levels from kindergarten to university; anti-drug propaganda must enter communities, villages, online platforms, and entertainment venues, and must be strictly rectified. We cannot allow it to continue to poison the people!