REVIEW PAPER
E-smoking: Emerging public health problem?
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1
Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
(School of Medicine in Katowice, Department of Epidemiology)
2
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
(Canadian Center for Health and Safety in Agriculture, Department of Medicine)
3
Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
(School of Medicine in Katowice, Department of Pneumonology)
Online publication date: 2017-03-10
Corresponding author
Grzegorz Brożek
Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, School of Medicine in Katowice, Department of Epidemiology, Medyków 18, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2017;30(3):329-44
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ABSTRACT
E-cigarette use has become increasingly popular, especially among the young. Its long-term influence upon health is unknown.
Aim of this review has been to present the current state of knowledge about the impact of e-cigarette use on
health, with an emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe. During the preparation of this narrative review, the literature
on e-cigarettes available within the network PubMed was retrieved and examined. In the final review, 64 research papers
were included. We specifically assessed the construction and operation of the e-cigarette as well as the chemical composition
of the e-liquid; the impact that vapor arising from the use of e-cigarette explored in experimental models in vitro; and
short-term effects of use of e-cigarettes on users’ health. Among the substances inhaled by the e-smoker, there are several
harmful products, such as: formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acroleine, propanal, nicotine, acetone, o-methyl-benzaldehyde,
carcinogenic nitrosamines. Results from experimental animal studies indicate the negative impact of e-cigarette exposure
on test models, such as ascytotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, airway hyper reactivity, airway remodeling, mucin
production, apoptosis, and emphysematous changes. The short-term impact of e-cigarettes on human health has been studied
mostly in experimental setting. Available evidence shows that the use of e-cigarettes may result in acute lung function
responses (e.g., increase in impedance, peripheral airway flow resistance) and induce oxidative stress. Based on the current
available evidence, e-cigarette use is associated with harmful biologic responses, although it may be less harmful than traditional
cigarettes. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(3):329–344