The Great American Smokeout: Easier said than done for long-time smokers
E-Cigarettes are battery powered devices that look a lot like the real thing. But instead of delivering nicotine to the body through tobacco combustion – the most dangerous part of smoking – they deliver it through a water and glycol-based vapor. Brad Rodu is an oral pathologist and professor of medicine at the University of Louisville’s School of Medicine. He says, “E-Cigarettes and other smoke-free products are a way for the smoker to take back a measure of control over that behavior and reduce his or her risk for a number of deadly diseases.”
For 20 years, Rodu’s research has focused on Tobacco Harm Reduction, the substitution of safer tobacco products by people who aren’t able – or willing – to quit. “Keep in mind,” Rodu says, “that cigarettes are the most dangerous and toxic consumer product in the United States. And so, smoke-free tobacco products represent an enormous reduced risk potential for smokers.” He adds, “Many, many of the nation’s 45,000,000 smokers do not want to quit.”
