E-cigarettes, smoking and health

The challenge

Our researchers recently undertook a scientific literature review into the use and health impacts of e-cigarettes and personal vaporisers.

There were six sub-categories in the report:

A summary of the findings are provided below.

The evidence available suggests that regular use of e-cigarettes is likely to have adverse health consequences.
There is a lack of clarity about the: magnitude of adverse health effects and quantity of e-cigarette use required to trigger adverse health effects.

In many countries where appropriate evidence is available, it appears that e-cigarette use occurs with cigarette use.
However the evidence is consistent in suggesting that use of e-cigarettes by non-smoking youth predicts future smoking.
While many smokers and former smokers state a preference for e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation method, the effectiveness of this method compared with other smoking cessation methods is not known.

Based on the current evidence it is not possible to ascertain whether e-cigarettes have a positive or a negative effect on health in countries where they are permitted.

When e-cigarettes are used by smokers instead of conventional cigarettes there is evidence for improvement in individual health, probably mainly due to the reduction in smoking.
However, use of e-cigarettes may also introduce independent health risks, and ‘dual use’ (using both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes) is popular.

It is a critical research question to determine the effectiveness of e-cigarettes compared to other smoking cessation methods among Australian smokers generally, but also amongst groups with a high smoking rate.
The rate at which young people and adults start smoking as a result of using e-cigarettes should be assessed and monitored to fill a research gap.
On present evidence, it is not possible to determine whether less restrictive access to e-cigarettes would reduce rates of smoking in Australia.

There does not appear to be a consistent pattern of rate of e‐cigarette use compared to tobacco smoking across countries.
While tobacco smoking is a well‑established practice that varies widely between countries, e-cigarette use has spread across countries in the recent past with different rate of device availability, marketing, familiarity and regulations.
It is plausible that a consistent pattern between tobacco smoking and e-cigarette use across countries could develop in the future.

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