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NurseinWA (0 friends, send message) wrote: 26m ago
For those of you who made the comment that e-cigarettes are a "harmless alternative" to smoking
tobacco. I will grant you that there are fewer carcinogens in the e-cigs, however nicotine is itself harmful. It is a vasoconstrictor (Shrinks blood vessels) which increased blood pressure and pulse rate and it increasing the clotting of the blood. Nicotine, over long periods of time, can also increase LDL (bad) cholesterol. All of these can lead to an increase in high blood pressure, headaches, strokes and clots.
Just because it's not
tobacco does not mean it's harmless.
Many people believe that nicotine causes heart disease, cancer, and lung disease. Actually these diseases are caused by the tar, carbon monoxide, heavy metals, particulates, and thousands of toxins in the smoke. Nicotine raises blood pressure slightly and temporarily. So does exercise. What is important to know is that nicotine does not cause the disease called hypertension. Nor does exercise. Apparently it is the smoke, not the nicotine component that causes cholesterol problems. Over 13,000 people signed the Electronic Cigarette Petition and left comments.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/keep-life-saving-electronic-cigarettes-available Thousands have successfully substituted electronic cigarettes for their tobacco cigarettes and are reporting that their blood pressure has gone down, as have their cholesterol numbers. They are reporting improved lung function. So if first-hand vapor is causing all of these improvements to health, does it make any
sense to fear that second-hand vapor will be harmful? For more information about nicotine, see
http://www.tobaccoharmreduction.org/faq/nicotine.htm#40
NOTE: The above links work here, but are not activated in the comments on USA Today.
