Discovered Short-Term Effects of Electric Cigarettes

Jakarta, Electronic Cigarette has been marketed as safer alternatives. But the study found evidence of this electric cigarette can cause changes in the airways users in quick time.

Researchers found after 5 minutes using an electric cigarette, users showed signs of airway constriction as measured by several types of tests of respiratory and inflammation. The results of this study are reported in the journal Chest.

"This is the first evidence showing that an electric cigarette can cause acute physiological effects in a very fast," said study chairman Constantine I. Vardavas of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at the Harvard School of Public Health, as quoted by Reuters on Monday (01/16/2012).

In this new study, Vardavas and colleagues in Athens involving 30 healthy men who smoked cigarettes electric cigarette to see if this affects the airways of users.

It turned out that in the short term, smoking has been estimated to cause and effect in the long term can cause lung diseases such as emphysema or cancer. However, research on long-term effects are still needed.

"If cigarettes electric effect on the respiratory tract only a few minutes after use, then there is a fear what if the user repeatedly from time to time. So, if there is a claim of cigarettes has no health effects, then it's not true," he said.

Vardavas itself did not yet know with certainty why the electric cigarette can increase airway constriction. There might be one or more ingredients in cigarettes that causes this condition, although it is unknown what materials.

"If there are people who try to quit smoking by using an electric cigarette, then there will be a short term effect that appears every time you use an electric cigarette," said Vardavas.

Electric cigarette or known as 'e-cigarettes' using battery power devices that allow users to inhale vaporized liquid nicotine instead of tobacco smoke. Smoking is claimed to improve the exposure of nicotine to himself or others.

Yet some scientists warn that there are still too many questions to be answered about the safety of this product, just as there is likely to contain ingredients that have not known safety.