[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n my way home last week, I squeezed through the rush-hour crowds on the subway and saw something out of place: the man next to me appeared to be smoking a cigarette. On the train! Smoking in a public, indoor space is not something we’re used to seeing in Ontario anymore. After doing a double take, I realized the end of the “cigarette” was glowing blue, and the “smoke” he was blowing out of his mouth was actually vapour. This was an e-cigarette, a relatively new product that is rapidly gaining popularity in Canada.
“E-cigarettes look like regular cigarettes or cigars, and often have a light on the end. They use heat to vapourize a liquid solution, which produces an aerosol mist,” says Leslie Gibson, Occupational Therapist at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre and a member of the smoking cessation team.
Two-thirds of people who smoke are seriously considering quitting in the next six months. This is not an insignificant number of people, either: in Canada, 13.8% of women smoke, and on average, they smoke 13.2 cigarettes per day. While some traditional smoking cessation tools have been around for years, like nicotine gum, women and men have increasingly been turning to e-cigarettes to help them kick the habit.
[pullquote align=”right”]“There are questions about the safety of these devices, and currently Health Canada does not endorse their use” [/pullquote]
But one question remains- how safe are e-cigarettes?
“There are questions about the safety of these devices, and currently Health Canada does not endorse their use,” says Gibson, as we don’t know the long-term health effects of the vapour on our bodies.
For people looking to quit smoking, there are other alternatives that can be considered. “Health Canada has endorsed a number of smoking cessation aides, including the nicotine patch, gum, lozenges and inhalers,” Gibson says. “There are medications available that can help control the cravings, and Smoker’s Helpline can also be a useful resource for people looking for help.”
For those trying to quit, Gibson also recommends keeping the 4 D’s in mind:
- drink water
- delay that cigarette
- do some deep breathing
- distract yourself with other activity
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