电子烟安全吗?

电子烟安全吗?

When e-cigarettes were introduced to the U.S. market in 2007, they were billed as a safe alternative to conventional tobacco cigarettes. But since then various studies have found that these e-cigs may not be so harmless after all.

当电子烟在2007年进入美国市场时，它们被认为是传统香烟的安全替代品。但从那时起，各种研究发现，这些电子烟可能并不是那么无害。

Researchers found that almost all e-cigarette vapor contains two cancer-causing chemicals: propylene glycol and glycerin. The study was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

研究人员发现，几乎所有的电子烟蒸汽都含有两种致癌化学物质:丙二醇和甘油。这项研究发表在《环境科学与技术》杂志上。

E-cigarette sales are now banned to minors in the U.S. (Photo: Michael Dorausch [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr)

Previous reports have also found health concerns with e-cigarettes. A report published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that e-cigs give off formaldehyde, which is another carcinogen. And in 2009 the FDA announced that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples found that they contain “carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.”

之前的报告也发现了电子烟对健康的影响。发表在《新英格兰医学杂志》上的一篇报告发现，电子烟会释放甲醛，这是另一种致癌物质。2009年，美国食品药品监督管理局(FDA)宣布，对电子烟样品的实验室分析发现，它们含有“致癌物质和有毒化学物质，如用于防冻剂的二甘醇”。

There may be one small silver lining in this cloud. A 2016 study published in the British Medical Journal found that e-cigarettes may have helped more people quit smoking. Researchers found that the number of people trying to quit didn't change, but the number of successful attempts increased. About 18,000 additional people kicked the habit in the U.K. in 2015, the study found.

在这片乌云中，或许还有一线希望。2016年发表在《英国医学杂志》上的一项研究发现，电子烟可能帮助更多的人戒烟。研究人员发现，试图戒烟的人数没有变化，但成功戒烟的次数增加了。研究发现，2015年，英国又有约1.8万人戒烟。

How they work

它们是如何起作用的

F-cigarettes have an atomizer that heats a nicotine liquid that turns to vapor. (Photo: PavelKant/Shutterstock)

Many of them are designed to look like conventional cigarettes, but they are actually battery-operated devices. They contain an atomizer that heats a nicotine liquid that turns to vapor; the vapor is then inhaled and exhaled, much like tobacco smoke.

它们中的许多设计看起来像传统香烟，但实际上它们是电池驱动的设备。它们包含一个雾化器，可以加热尼古丁液体，使其变成蒸汽;然后蒸汽被吸入和呼出，很像烟草烟雾。

The liquid — commonly known as e-juice, e-liquid, smoke juice and cig juice — comes in a cartridge and is a mixture of nicotine, water, glycerol, propylene glycol and flavorings, according to the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association.

这种液体通常被称为e-juice、e-liquid、smoke juice和cig juice。据烟草蒸汽电子烟协会介绍，这种液体是由尼古丁、水、甘油、丙二醇和香料混合而成的。

And yes, the liquid comes in flavors. Although e-cigarette manufactures say they don’t market to young people, liquid cartridges come in a nauseating array of flavors — everything from butterscotch and fruit punch to cinnamon bun and milkshake.

是的，这种液体有多种口味。虽然电子烟制造商说他们不面向年轻人销售，但液体卷筒有各种令人作呕的口味——从奶油糖果和水果潘趣酒到肉桂面包和奶昔，应有尽有。

E-cig rules

电子烟规则

San Francisco became the first city to ban e-cig sales after city officials voted June 26 to ban stores from selling the items and online retailers from delivering to city addresses, according to CNN. Mayor London Breed' signed the ordinance a few days later.

据美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)报道，旧金山市政府6月26日投票通过，禁止商店销售电子烟，禁止在线零售商送货上门，旧金山成为第一个禁止电子烟销售的城市。几天后，伦敦市长布里德签署了这项法令。

The new legislation highlights what e-cigarette opponents and health advocates say is the FDA's failure to act on the issue, points out CNN. Officials from San Francisco, New York and Chicago criticized the FDA in a March letter for allowing e-cigs to remain for sale without undergoing a review on their impact on public health.

CNN指出，新的立法强调了电子烟反对者和健康倡导者所说的，FDA在这个问题上没有采取行动。旧金山、纽约和芝加哥的官员在3月份的一封信中批评FDA允许电子烟继续销售，而没有对其对公众健康的影响进行审查。

The FDA has stated its intent to issue a proposed rule that would extend the agency's authority to products that meet the statutory definition of “tobacco product,” which would include e-cigarettes.

美国食品药品监督管理局表示，它打算发布一项拟议的规则，将该机构的权力扩大到符合“烟草产品”法定定义的产品，其中包括电子烟。