If you have been the victim of asbestos exposure in the past, you might be avoiding cigarettes today. It is a known fact that asbestos and cigarette smoke do not mix. When combined, these two factors can affect the progression of different respiratory diseases, such as lung cancer and asbestosis.
In efforts to save their health (and their lives!) many smokers exposed to asbestos have quit, or begun trying to quit. Doctors and hospitals have tips to help kick the habit, but many cigarette consumers have a difficult time giving up their ritual. E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular to help wean off addiction to the “cancer stick.”
Electronic cigarettes are devices that look and feel like the real thing, but lack the dangerous toxins and carcinogens included in traditional cigars and cigarettes. Smokers do not even need to carry a lighter with them anymore — e-cigarettes are made with vaporization chambers that hold a cartridge of pure nicotine. The device heats the liquid, converting it into a vapor to be inhaled by the user. There is no smoke because nothing is being lit on fire.
Although the manufacturers and cigarette companies that embrace this technology market them as safe-for-use, health officials have yet to determine the side effects of inhaling pure nicotine. Individuals subject to “second-hand vapor” reported irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, nauseousness, and difficulty breathing. It has not yet been concluded how this form of smoking affects those exposed to asbestos at some point in their lives.
New studies will continue to evolve and, in turn, regulations will be set in place for electronic cigarette smokers. No matter what, if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past, a goal should be made to quit smoking cigarettes completely. You could immediately add years onto your life.
