Balancing Consideration of the Risks and Benefits of E-Cigarettes
Publication Date: August 19, 2021
Authors: David J. K. Balfour, DSc, Neal L. Benowitz, MD, Suzanne M. Colby, PhD, Dorothy K. Hatsukami, PhD, Harry A. Lando, PhD, Scott J. Leischow, PhD, Caryn Lerman, PhD, Robin J. Mermelstein, PhD, Raymond Niaura, PhD, Kenneth A. Perkins, PhD, Ovide F. Pomerleau, PhD, Nancy A. Rigotti, MD, Gary E. Swan, PhD, Kenneth E. Warner, PhD, and Robert West, PhD
Description: Published by the American Journal of Public Health and co-authored by 15 past presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT), “Balancing Consideration of the Risk and Benefits of E-Cigarettes” examines the health risks of e-cigarette use. The article explores concerns around the risks of youth vaping and the likelihood that vaping increases adult smoking cessation.
Most U.S. Health organizations, media coverage and policymakers are focused primarily on the risks to youth. The messaging around e-cigarettes has caused much of the public, including adult smokers, to consider e-cigarettes as dangerous as or more dangerous than smoking. However, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine concluded that e-cigarette use is likely far less hazardous than smoking. Evidence also indicates that e-cigarettes can increase the odds of quitting smoking. Many scientists and researchers encourage the health community, media, and policymakers to consider vaping’s potential to reduce adult smoking-related mortality.