Electronic Cigarettes: are safe and can help quitting
Professor Riccardo Polosa, of Catania University, leads the only clinical study in Europe, on electronic cigarette effects.
Six hundred delegates from over 170 countries have participated to the "Framework Convention for Tobacco Control”, WHO, World Health Organization (Uruguay, 15-20 November 2010).
After this event, the Italian media have mounted a negative campaign against the electronic cigarette, stating that the electronic cigarette is harmful and useless for smoking cessation. To date, there is no evidence in the medical literature to support this unproven statement and WHO considers appropriate to conduct scientific studies that may clarify efficacy and long term safety of electronic cigarettes.
Prof. Riccardo Polosa, of Catania University, international expert in smoking cessation, is leading the first clinical study in Europe on the effects and safety of electronic cigarettes (CATEGORIA ELETTRONIC CIGARETTE).
"Thorough toxicology testing conducted on these products demonstrates that they are not harmful," says Prof. Polosa, "and participants using the electronic cigarette long term have never reported significant side effects. Therefore, electronic cigarettes may still be considered as a useful low-risk alternative compared to traditional tobacco cigarette.
"Many participants in our pilot study have substantially reduced cigarettes consumption," continues Prof. Polosa, "and some have quit smoking." If this will be confirmed in larger studies, the electronic cigarette
could be adopted by smoking cessation specialists and used to help millions of smokers to quit. There are no sound alarming data or known negative effects of electronic cigarettes and it is hoped that medical research will soon produce data about their efficacy and safety.
The suggestion of LIAF to consumers is to use certified products.
PRESS OFFICE LIAF, ITALIAN NO SMOKING ASSOCIATION
(http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01195597?term=%22Electronic+Nicotine+Delivery+Device%22&rank=1) Prof. Polosa is leading three additional research studies in Italy on using electronic cigarettes for reduction of smoking. The description of his current research can be read here:
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