The e-cigarette: a healthy alternative?
Smoking costs society a fortune because it damages health, not only that of the smoker but also of the people around them. That is why it is banned in public spaces and in the workplace. Smokers know first-hand how hard it is to quit, and turn to alternatives such as the relatively new e-cigarette.
Unhealthy and expensive
Smoking employees run a higher risk of health problems. They call in sick 1.5 times as often as non-smokers. What makes smoking carcinogenic are the substances released when tobacco burns. But nicotine, the addictive substance in tobacco, is also dangerous in its own right.
So it is not healthy, and not good for our wallets either:
chain smokers easily spend €1,750 a year on cigarettes;
healthcare costs for smokers turn out to be up to 40% higher;
according to the World Bank, smokers consume 6 to 15% of the healthcare budget. For Belgium, that amounts to around €1.45 billion.
An electronic alternative?
E-cigarettes vaporise a liquid containing flavoured nicotine. The carcinogenic substances produced by burning tobacco are therefore absent. Supporters say this makes the e-cigarette a perfectly good alternative to regular cigarettes. As a smoker, you don’t have to change your habits, and you don’t have to quit nicotine (right away).
Opponents argue that the possible risks have not yet been researched enough. They also say it has not been proven that the e-cigarette helps people stop smoking. Smokers often combine the electronic and traditional versions, which makes any positive health effects negligible. There is also a fear that the e-cigarette normalises the image of smoking again and lowers the threshold for young people to start.
Not in the workplace
An e-cigarette containing nicotine is regarded as a substitute for the regular cigarette. In theory, you should therefore only be able to buy it at a pharmacy, like nicotine gum and patches. This is probably a good approach, because as long as the health effects have not been adequately tested, a cautious approach is preferable. Like all pharmacological tobacco aids, the nicotine-containing e-cigarette must also meet certain quality and effectiveness requirements.
Belgian law, incidentally, makes no distinction between regular and electronic cigarettes. It states that tobacco products, and all other products that encourage smoking, are banned in public spaces and in the workplace. Nothing changes in that respect: smoking in the workplace is not allowed, electronic or not.
Read also: Make your alcohol and drug policy a success
Raise awareness among your employees
Smoking increases the risk of health problems and illness. Raising awareness can make the difference: refer employees to online quit-smoking services such as www.tabakstop.be. And let Mensura support you in developing an integrated health policy.
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