Which is more harmful, e-cigarette or cigarette?

Electronic cigarette is designed to be a substitute to reduce the harm of cigarettes. However, there is not enough scientific research to directly compare electronic cigarette with smoking. However, there are still some basic science popularization comparisons. Now let's make a brief introduction to the science popularization.

Comparison of the effects of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes on health

Is it harmful to your lungs?

Smoking causes well-known damage to the lungs. Long term inhalation of burning tobacco can cause lung cancer and esophageal cancer, and lead to a variety of fatal lung diseases, such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). But what about electronic cigarettes?

Cigarette smoke attacks the lungs in several ways. It contains thousands of chemicals, more than 70 of which are known carcinogens. It also contains particulate matter (small pieces of burning tobacco and paper), which are deposited deep in the lungs and can be buried in tissues. Smoking electronic cigarettes will not produce a known amount of carcinogens, of course, there will be risks, not including smoke and other solid particles.

In fact, the most dangerous thing of burning tobacco does not exist in the process of electronic smog. Since electronic smoke does not burn, there are no other two major dangers of tar or carbon monoxide smoking. Atomization uses the heat from the coil to convert the electronic liquid into an inhalable aerosol. It looks like smoke, but it isn't. Having said that, atomization is not without potential risks to lung health.

There are some concerns about the composition of electronic liquid: propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and flavoring agent. Although extensive studies on PG inhalation in animals do not cause any danger, there is no serious human study on the effects of long-term inhalation of PG or VG. PG was found to cause slight irritation to the respiratory tract.

——————————————————————————————————————

Is it harmful to oral health?

Smoking causes and causes a variety of oral health problems. Of course, it is well known that smokers have a high risk of oral cancer, laryngeal cancer and esophageal cancer. But cigarettes can also cause tooth and periodontal disease, including gum disease. Cigarette smoke can change the bacteria (microbiome) in the mouth, making the existing periodontal disease more serious.

There is little information about the medical side effects of electronic fumigation on oral health. A recent literature review published in the Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine summarized the current situation of science and pointed out that "the evidence is insufficient".

An existing small study shows that smokers may increase the incidence rate of nicotine stomatitis (strangely, it is not caused by nicotine), which is caused by heat and causes damage in the mouth. This is a secondary condition, which is usually solved by itself when removing heat sources (usually pipes).

A small study examined the oral microbiome of 10 smokers, 10 electronic smokers and 10 non-smokers. It was found that the bacterial characteristics of smokers were similar to those of non-smoking/smoking control group, but the oral bacterial characteristics of electronic smokers were very different. The researchers concluded that steam did not alter the microbiome. Of course, this study is too small to draw broad conclusions.

——————————————————————————————————————

Can it cause cancer?

Cancer occurs when toxins destroy or mutate cells' DNA and cause them to grow out of control. Tumors can remain locally, or cancer can spread, or even move from one organ to another. Most people know that smoking is the cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer kills more people than any other cancer, and most (but not all) lung cancer victims are smokers.

Smoking can also cause many other types of cancer, because cancer is not only formed in areas exposed to smoke, but also by smoke by-products in blood and organs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the human body.

Carcinogens have been found in e-cigarettes, but their content indicates that the risk of cancer is very low. According to a 2017 study in the Journal of Tobacco Control, the cancer risk of smoking electronic cigarettes is comparable to the risk of using nicotine patch and other drugs, which is less than one percent of the cancer risk of smoking.

Other researchers have reached similar conclusions. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Mutation Research tested that electronic smoke vapor and smoke can cause cell mutation to bacteria. Smoke causes mutation and is also toxic to bacteria, while steam has no mutagenicity or toxicity.

Nicotine itself (whether in cigarettes, e-cigarette vapours or other nicotine products) has not been shown to cause cancer. Long term studies of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and Swedish snuff users have shown no proven link between nicotine and cancer.

The report of the Royal College in 2016 said: "In the 5-year lung health study on long-term nicotine use, participants actively encouraged the use of NRT for several months. Many people have strong and safe evidence that they continue to take NRT for a longer time, which indicates that there is no correlation between continued use of NRT and cancer (lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer or any cancer) or cardiovascular disease."

Summary
Cigarettes cause serious damage to the body, almost from head to foot. The hazard has been confirmed. In addition, there is no evidence that smoking electronic cigarettes will cause similar health problems, except for the possible nicotine dependence you calculated. But nicotine is not directly responsible for any consequences of smoking.
Only time can reveal the long-term impact of electronic smoke vapor on people. Compared with smoking, electronic smoking is a better choice.