In comparison to cigarettes, available evidence suggests that
e-cigarettes are a safer nicotine delivery system. For example, levels
of toxicants in e-cigarette vapor have been reported to be 9–450
times lower than in cigarette smoke and particle emissions have
been reported to be times lower .However, the relative health
risks of e-cigarettes compared to NRT are less clear. E-cigarettes
often contain more toxicants than approved pharmacotherapy,
such as the nicotine inhaler. This potential for greater health risk
is increased as e-cigarettes are not currently regulated and vary
in content, with actual content sometimes differing from labeled
content. Forthcoming regulations from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) are likely to reduce these concerns, but it
should also be acknowledged that nicotine itself may be harmful.
The 2014 Surgeon General’s Report notes the need for quantifying
level of risk from long-term use of nicotine, especially if such
use becomes more prevalent,1
as appears to occur commonly with
e-cigarettes, despite being relatively rare with NRT.