http://www.west-info.eu/why-the-who-is-wrong-about-e-cigarettes/
Why the WHO is wrong about e-cigarettes
by Mattia Rosini - 2014.09.02
“Saying no to electronic cigarettes is a criminal act, a form of medieval scientific obscurantism that we do not expect from either the World Health Organisation (WHO) or the ISS (Italy’s national health institute).” These are the words of Dr Carlo Cipolla, a cardiologist at the European Institute of Oncology, founded by Professor Giovanni Veronesi, and author of scientific studies on e-cigarettes. He was speaking in response to the recent criticism from the WHO, which said that e-cigarettes are not as harmless as they are portrayed to be and should be banned for the under-18s and in public places.
“The WHO doesn’t even distinguish between nicotine cigarettes, nicotine-free cigarettes and so-called ‘vapour cigarettes’. The latter, which are unregulated and sold by unqualified personnel, may contain highly toxic and potentially dangerous concentrations of nicotine and possibly also toxic chemicals. This shows the WHO’s ignorance and its inability to address the issue: they don’t know what they’re talking about! In our research we use the classic e-cigarettes, called T-Fumo, without nicotine. They have never shown any signs of toxicity; in fact they are produced in certified Italian laboratories, and there is no credited scientific research that indicates their toxicity. I believe that the WHO is uninformed, if not driven by some interest.”
Even Italy’s ISS has supported the WHO’s position. So why are there all these attacks on e-cigarettes, while other doctors and scientists (including you and Professor Veronesi) defend them?
“The fact is that even the ISS employs unqualified bureaucrats and when it comes to e-cigarettes, they reference data that no one has ever seen officially published. They also don’t make any distinction between e-cigarettes without nicotine, which are regulated and sold in pharmacies, and the ‘vapour’ nicotine cigarettes, which are completely unregulated. Or maybe e-cigarettes are against their interests as well.”
What could be the health benefits of smoking an e-cigarette, as opposed to a normal cigarette?
“The damage from normal cigarettes are well known, with cases of lung cancer (40,000 a year), coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease totalling more than 100,000 deaths per year. On the other hand, the damaging effects of e-cigarettes are not known but they are certainly far lower if not zero,” says the professor. He concludes: “At the end of October we will publish the data from our latest research on T-Fumo. They will be validated by major international bodies for scientific scrutiny and are currently being developed, so we cannot comment just yet. What I can say is that, of the patients we studied, we have seen no collateral or potentially negative side effects.”
Why the WHO is wrong about e-cigarettes
by Mattia Rosini - 2014.09.02
“Saying no to electronic cigarettes is a criminal act, a form of medieval scientific obscurantism that we do not expect from either the World Health Organisation (WHO) or the ISS (Italy’s national health institute).” These are the words of Dr Carlo Cipolla, a cardiologist at the European Institute of Oncology, founded by Professor Giovanni Veronesi, and author of scientific studies on e-cigarettes. He was speaking in response to the recent criticism from the WHO, which said that e-cigarettes are not as harmless as they are portrayed to be and should be banned for the under-18s and in public places.
“The WHO doesn’t even distinguish between nicotine cigarettes, nicotine-free cigarettes and so-called ‘vapour cigarettes’. The latter, which are unregulated and sold by unqualified personnel, may contain highly toxic and potentially dangerous concentrations of nicotine and possibly also toxic chemicals. This shows the WHO’s ignorance and its inability to address the issue: they don’t know what they’re talking about! In our research we use the classic e-cigarettes, called T-Fumo, without nicotine. They have never shown any signs of toxicity; in fact they are produced in certified Italian laboratories, and there is no credited scientific research that indicates their toxicity. I believe that the WHO is uninformed, if not driven by some interest.”
Even Italy’s ISS has supported the WHO’s position. So why are there all these attacks on e-cigarettes, while other doctors and scientists (including you and Professor Veronesi) defend them?
“The fact is that even the ISS employs unqualified bureaucrats and when it comes to e-cigarettes, they reference data that no one has ever seen officially published. They also don’t make any distinction between e-cigarettes without nicotine, which are regulated and sold in pharmacies, and the ‘vapour’ nicotine cigarettes, which are completely unregulated. Or maybe e-cigarettes are against their interests as well.”
What could be the health benefits of smoking an e-cigarette, as opposed to a normal cigarette?
“The damage from normal cigarettes are well known, with cases of lung cancer (40,000 a year), coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease totalling more than 100,000 deaths per year. On the other hand, the damaging effects of e-cigarettes are not known but they are certainly far lower if not zero,” says the professor. He concludes: “At the end of October we will publish the data from our latest research on T-Fumo. They will be validated by major international bodies for scientific scrutiny and are currently being developed, so we cannot comment just yet. What I can say is that, of the patients we studied, we have seen no collateral or potentially negative side effects.”
