Expert warns against smoking e-cigarettes

Prof. Tanimola Akande, the National Chairman of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, has warned against smoking e-cigarettes, saying this remains a great health risk.
Akande gave the warning in Ilorin on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
He described e-cigarettes as battery-powered cartridges filled with a nicotine liquid, which when heated, could create an inhalable mist.
“E-cigarettes, also known as vaporizer cigarettes, are devices that people use often instead of tobacco cigarettes,” he said.
Akande cited burns, nicotine toxicity as well as respiratory and cardiovascular ailments as being associated with smoking e-cigarettes.
Akande said e-cigarettes could cause headache, cough, dizziness, sore throat, nose bleeding, chest pain and other cardiovascular problems.
The expert said other health problems associated with e-cigarettes include allergic reactions such as itchiness and swelling of the lips.
He said such smokers were faced with a difficult personal choice because no public health official would issue a statement endorsing e-cigarette use as alternative to stopping smoking.
Akande pointed out that e-cigarettes, tobacco, cigars, cigarillos and pipes were hazardous.