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The World Health Organization reported that three years ago the number of smokers worldwide increased to almost one billion. This is mostly due to population growth but even so, the negative effects of smoking on human health should not be neglected and prompt more people to quit.
In 2004 it was reported that 5.4 million deaths were tobacco-attributed. However, this number has started to decrease, since in 2007 the World Health Organization stated that 4.9 million deaths were caused by smoking.
It is safe to say that regulation regarding cigarette packaging, smoking in public places and advertising has changed a lot within the last decade, in an attempt to encourage people to quit smoking.
Various campaigns have been organized as well and new medication and other solutions for people trying to become non-smokers have become available.
Among them, the electronic cigarette has become increasingly popular as it allows smokers to enjoy the gesture without the negative effects of tobacco-cigarettes.
The number of people who started using the e-cigarette went up by almost 20 percent since last year (from 2.1 million in 2014 to 2.6 million users this year) in Great Britain.
However, experts have started to worry that this number is on the decrease, due to the fact that erroneous studies have tried to prove that the electronic cigarette has negative effects on human health.
Almost a quarter of the people surveyed (22 percent) believed the e-cigarette is not healthy, compared to last year’s 15 percent.
An analysis carried out by experts at King’s College London reveal that the number of e-cigarette users has not gone up lately, but it stopped at 17.6 percent among smokers.
A study conducted in the U.S. showed that the various flavors that certain types of electronic cigarettes have, contain dangerous chemicals that can harm both the lungs and the immune system.
Nevertheless, such studies should not prompt people to stay off e-cigarettes and continue smoking.
President of Action on Smoking and Health, Deborah Arnott expresses her worry regarding the fact that such misconceptions could lead to a lower number of people who quit smoking.
“The growth of this false perception risks discouraging many smokers from using electronic cigarettes to quit and keep them smoking instead which would be bad for their health and the health of those around them,” Arnott says.
Representatives of King’s College London also believe that it is very important to advertise the fact that electronic cigarettes are safe to use and they could help smokers a lot.
This is also due to the fact that there are fewer studies dealing with the harmful effects of tobacco.
Image Source: Watchdog
