For the last few years, since the
Fortuitously, there may be an
alternative for smokers who are banished outside! The electronic cigarette or e-cigarette or
vaporiser, are becoming ever more popular for smokers who wish to reduced their
nicotine intake or give up completely.
Whatever your choice of name, the e-cigarette which was meant to help
smokers is now as controversial as the regular cigarette.
Since e-cigarettes do not
give off any smoke, should employees and visitors to public buildings be
allowed to use them inside? The main reason for non-smoking in public buildings
was due to the passive smoking risk element.
If e-cigarettes are banned
inside public buildings, what is a reasonable justification for this? Reasons given by some companies who have
banned the use of e-cigarettes inside are around the fact that it is not the
impression they wish to portray as a company or, it is difficult to distinguish
between e-cigarettes and normal cigarettes and therefore a ban on all types of cigarettes
is warranted. As PAs do you agree with these reasons? Would it bother you if you went to the
bank/post office or some other public building and were served by staff using
e-cigarettes? What are the rules in your office?
In addition to the views
as to their use inside or outside, there is now the argument over their safety
from a health perspective.
Manufacturers, distributers and marketers have promoted e-cigarettes as
being the healthy alternative to cigarettes.
However, research is now showing that some e-cigarettes contain
carcinogenic chemicals that make some as harmful as normal tobacco. This is a claim made by a new study in France . The French Government have announced plans to
ban e-cigarettes in public places. Should
this happen here?
Whatever your views on
smoking, e-cigarettes appear not to be as safe as originally thought and
further research is being carried out into their safety.
For smokers who are trying
to give up, it’s not too late to register and take part in the “Stoptober” campaign
which is a UK-wide initiative in October each year, encouraging smokers to give
up. It provides resources, advice and
support. The link to the official
website: https://stoptober.smokefree.nhs.uk/
Yvette Squire FAPA