Are electronic cigarettes safe? The debate has been raging for long. Many have complained about suffering from health problems after smoking e-cigarettes, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 215 lung disease cases possibly caused by e-cigarettes. Li Xiaokui, a senior science writer, comments on pop-science website guokr.com:

Many domestic websites have highlighted the CDC report, claiming e-cigarettes “caused 215 lung disease cases in the US”. But according to a CDC statement, it has not been confirmed that e-cigarette is the cause of all the diseases and studies are is still going on.

Yet the harmful effects of e-cigarettes have long been confirmed. The batteries in e-cigarettes help turn a liquid matter into smoke, which the smoker inhales. Most of this liquid contains nicotine, a matter notorious for being harmful to human health.

Some argue the certain kinds of e-cigarettes burn liquid that does not contain nicotine. True, but it is mainly made of propylene glycol, which turns into smoke at a certain temperature.

According to experiments on mice, when theybreathe in smokes of such e-cigarettes, the lungs excrete a protective liquid which accumulates fat, which in turn curbs the lungs’ normal immunity. As a result, the lungs could suffer from serious infection and damage. There is ample reason to believe human lungs could suffer similarly because they have a similar self-protective mechanism.

Besides, the liquid in e-cigarettes contains toxic material such as heavy metals and micro-particles, which can cause infection.

Compared with traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes are free of certain toxic elements such as carbon monoxide. But the batteries in e-cigarettes increase the risk of explosion, and young children could consume the liquid by mistake. Many such cases have been reported. If a child consumes the toxic liquid by mistake, it could suffer serious medical complications.

Still, e-cigarette advertisements claim it is “harmless” and “helps smokers quit smoking”. That’s why e-cigarettes are more popular among youngsters than traditional cigarettes, which increases the health risks of the younger generation.

It is time for people to know the harms e-cigarettes can cause and refrain from smoking them.