E Cig ban for University Hospital
The University Hospital of North Staffordshire has banned their staff from using e-cigs, forcing them to go outside and vape with the smokers. This, the vapers say, can only tempt them to start smoking again.
One nurse who relies on e-cigarettes to ensure a healthier lifestyle, says: “This decision is ludicrous – they will save the hospital millions in the long run by not having to treat smoking-related illness. I use them outside the entrance where plenty of patients smoke real cigarettes without being told to stop. I intend to carry on smoking them in the grounds.”
Union leaders have condemned trust managers for ‘jumping the gun’ by outlawing e cigarettes. Staff-side committee chairman Rob Irving, secretary of the UHNS branch of Unison, said: “They are allowed in pubs and other public places. They increase productivity because staff are not leaving their workplace to smoke.”
It can be argued that anyone who chooses smokeless cigarettes is a non-smoker. Why then would any employer force non-smoking staff to subject themselves to second hand smoke from the smokers in the outdoor smoking area? In fact, we would argue that this directly contravenes the purpose of the smoking ban, and is essentially illegal.
Above: University Hospital of Staffordshire
New Study Shows E-cigs Not Significantly Harmful to Heart Functions
A recently published study on the effects of electronic cigarettes on the coronary microcirculation of the heart demonstrates that the devices are not harmful in the way that tobacco cigarettes are.
The small-scale research presented at European Society of Cardiology 2013 Congress, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was conducted by a team of scientists led by Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre, in Kallithea, Greece.
“The electronic cigarette is not a product that is recommended for everyone as a new habit, it is recommended for smokers as an alternative to smoking to reduce consumption or to quit,” Farsalinos said. “It is not for the general population; that should be clear. This study adds to currently available evidence that supports that electronic cigarettes are significantly less harmful compared with tobacco.” The Greek doctor, a known supporter of e-cigarettes as a means of quitting smoking, also stressed the need of long-term studies to determine the effects of e-cigs on the human body.
The presence of dangerous chemicals, Dr Farsalinos says, is up to 1000 times lower than compared with tobacco cigarettes and “most likely it would be beneficial for smokers to switch to electronic cigarettes if they cannot quit by other methods.”
Deadline Approaches for EU Vote on E Cig Regulation
Vapers are all looking towards tomorrow with bated breath as Parliament looks into new legislation to be introduced across the European Union which they hope will reduce 700,000 smoking-related deaths across Europe each year.
The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) has said the safety of e-cigarettes “has not been scientifically demonstrated and the potential risks they pose for the health of users remains undetermined”.
Proponents of e-cigs maintain that the devices are safer than regular cigarettes and that the product represents a “public health revolution that has the potential to save millions of lives”.
Days before members of the European Parliament vote on the new anti-smoking measures, organisers of the Save E-cigs Campaign have declared that classing the devices as medicines would condemn “Europe’s seven million e-cigarette users to a premature death”.
We are keeping a close watch on these developments here at Vapourites, and know that you are as concerned as we are. There is still time to write to your MEP and express your view. Has switching to e cigs veered you away from tobacco and all its attendant harmful chemicals? Then tell them so.
In the meantime, keep checking back with us for developments.
