電子煙安全嗎?

電子煙安全嗎?

When e-cigarettes were introduced to the U.S. market in 2007, they were billed as a safe alternative to conventional tobacco cigarettes. But since then various studies have found that these e-cigs may not be so harmless after all.

當電子煙在2007年進入美國市場時，它們被認為是傳統(tǒng)香煙的安全替代品。但從那時起，各種研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，這些電子煙可能并不是那么無害。

Researchers found that almost all e-cigarette vapor contains two cancer-causing chemicals: propylene glycol and glycerin. The study was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，幾乎所有的電子煙蒸汽都含有兩種致癌化學(xué)物質(zhì):丙二醇和甘油。這項研究發(fā)表在《環(huán)境科學(xué)與技術(shù)》雜志上。

E-cigarette sales are now banned to minors in the U.S. (Photo: Michael Dorausch [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr)

Previous reports have also found health concerns with e-cigarettes. A report published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that e-cigs give off formaldehyde, which is another carcinogen. And in 2009 the FDA announced that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples found that they contain “carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.”

之前的報告也發(fā)現(xiàn)了電子煙對健康的影響。發(fā)表在《新英格蘭醫(yī)學(xué)雜志》上的一篇報告發(fā)現(xiàn)，電子煙會釋放甲醛，這是另一種致癌物質(zhì)。2009年，美國食品藥品監(jiān)督管理局(FDA)宣布，對電子煙樣品的實驗室分析發(fā)現(xiàn)，它們含有“致癌物質(zhì)和有毒化學(xué)物質(zhì)，如用于防凍劑的二甘醇”。

There may be one small silver lining in this cloud. A 2016 study published in the British Medical Journal found that e-cigarettes may have helped more people quit smoking. Researchers found that the number of people trying to quit didn't change, but the number of successful attempts increased. About 18,000 additional people kicked the habit in the U.K. in 2015, the study found.

在這片烏云中，或許還有一線希望。2016年發(fā)表在《英國醫(yī)學(xué)雜志》上的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，電子煙可能幫助更多的人戒煙。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，試圖戒煙的人數(shù)沒有變化，但成功戒煙的次數(shù)增加了。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，2015年，英國又有約1.8萬人戒煙。

How they work

它們是如何起作用的

F-cigarettes have an atomizer that heats a nicotine liquid that turns to vapor. (Photo: PavelKant/Shutterstock)

Many of them are designed to look like conventional cigarettes, but they are actually battery-operated devices. They contain an atomizer that heats a nicotine liquid that turns to vapor; the vapor is then inhaled and exhaled, much like tobacco smoke.

它們中的許多設(shè)計看起來像傳統(tǒng)香煙，但實際上它們是電池驅(qū)動的設(shè)備。它們包含一個霧化器，可以加熱尼古丁液體，使其變成蒸汽;然后蒸汽被吸入和呼出，很像煙草煙霧。

The liquid — commonly known as e-juice, e-liquid, smoke juice and cig juice — comes in a cartridge and is a mixture of nicotine, water, glycerol, propylene glycol and flavorings, according to the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association.

這種液體通常被稱為e-juice、e-liquid、smoke juice和cig juice。據(jù)煙草蒸汽電子煙協(xié)會介紹，這種液體是由尼古丁、水、甘油、丙二醇和香料混合而成的。

And yes, the liquid comes in flavors. Although e-cigarette manufactures say they don’t market to young people, liquid cartridges come in a nauseating array of flavors — everything from butterscotch and fruit punch to cinnamon bun and milkshake.

是的，這種液體有多種口味。雖然電子煙制造商說他們不面向年輕人銷售，但液體卷筒有各種令人作嘔的口味——從奶油糖果和水果潘趣酒到肉桂面包和奶昔，應(yīng)有盡有。

E-cig rules

電子煙規(guī)則

San Francisco became the first city to ban e-cig sales after city officials voted June 26 to ban stores from selling the items and online retailers from delivering to city addresses, according to CNN. Mayor London Breed' signed the ordinance a few days later.

據(jù)美國有線電視新聞網(wǎng)(CNN)報道，舊金山市政府6月26日投票通過，禁止商店銷售電子煙，禁止在線零售商送貨上門，舊金山成為第一個禁止電子煙銷售的城市。幾天后，倫敦市長布里德簽署了這項法令。

The new legislation highlights what e-cigarette opponents and health advocates say is the FDA's failure to act on the issue, points out CNN. Officials from San Francisco, New York and Chicago criticized the FDA in a March letter for allowing e-cigs to remain for sale without undergoing a review on their impact on public health.

CNN指出，新的立法強調(diào)了電子煙反對者和健康倡導(dǎo)者所說的，F(xiàn)DA在這個問題上沒有采取行動。舊金山、紐約和芝加哥的官員在3月份的一封信中批評FDA允許電子煙繼續(xù)銷售，而沒有對其對公眾健康的影響進行審查。

The FDA has stated its intent to issue a proposed rule that would extend the agency's authority to products that meet the statutory definition of “tobacco product,” which would include e-cigarettes.

美國食品藥品監(jiān)督管理局表示，它打算發(fā)布一項擬議的規(guī)則，將該機構(gòu)的權(quán)力擴大到符合“煙草產(chǎn)品”法定定義的產(chǎn)品，其中包括電子煙。