E-Cigarettes And The Values Behind The Evidence

It is becoming increasingly difficult to make the case against e-cigarettes on the basis of scientific evidence. A second Cochrane Review--the gold standard when it comes to assessing the state of the evidence on hot topics from salt to fat to smoking--has concluded that these nicotine-delivering devices that involve no combustion may help smokers quit without serious health consequences. The review concluded that of all 24 studies included, not a single one reported serious health risks to vapers from up to two years of e-cigarette use. Like the first review in 2014, this update is guarded, but also gives an approving nod to 15 currently ongoing randomized controlled trials that are underway. But while the evidentiary needle has moved another tick in favor of e-cigarettes, this latest report is sure to add fuel to a raging firestorm. Remarkably, the ongoing battle is not one that pits public health against industry, as in the century-long struggle against Big Tobacco. Rather, e-cigarettes have ignited a bitter imbroglio within a community of scientists all bent on drastically reducing if not eliminating the prevalence of combustible cigarettes. At stake are two key tensions. The first relates to how we weigh risk. What do we do in the absence of scientific certainty about all possible harms? These questions were at the heart of a furious exchange of letters between scientists over the course of 2014. This feud over e-cigarettes can't be understood absent the values that ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news