Early in the year, YoDAA received several queries about electronic devices for the delivery of tobacco. Since then new studies have shed light on the harms and advantages of these new devices.

Update: When YoDAA was first asked about a harm minimisation resource for school students smoking e-hookahs and e-cigarettes, research into the use of e-devices was still fairly thin on the ground.

E-Cigarettes, which deliver nicotine in the form of a vapor (rather than smoke) were developed as a harm minimisation alternative to cigarettes. 

E-Hookahs, also known as shisha pens are a variation of the e-cigarettes. Each device uses a battery to heat a flavoured or coloured liquid thus producing a vapour that is inhaled. Some are sold as disposable units, whilst others are refillable and though they are not marketed as such, can be used for delivery of substances other than tobacco.

Like a traditional shisha water pipe, the e-version comes in flavours such as apple, grape and bubble-gum which, caution some peliminary studies, can be especially appealing to young people.

Since these early inquires about e-devices, UC San Francisco's Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education has released a new study review looking at available data about a wide range of e-cigarette products.

Some of the key findings in the study include;

Nicotine absorption varies greatly between brands with some e-devices delivering equal amounts of nicotine to conventional cigarettes.

There is not yet enough research into the other particles being inhaled by users of e- devices and we should not assume them to be harmless.

So far, e-cigarette use is not associated with the successful quitting of conventional cigarettes. 

Also worth checking out is this article that calls for the WHO to recognise the differences between e-cigarettes and other tobacco products when considering banning them.

Though clearly not harmless, are e-devices a safer option to traditional delivery methods such as shisha water pipes and cigarettes? The evidence is not yet in. YoDAA will be keeping a close eye on any developments in this area and until then, email us to have your say about e-hookahs, e-cigarettes and disposable shisha pens.