你以為電子煙就不是抽煙？

British researchers have looked at the effects that e-cigarettes can have on the respiratory system and they have found evidence suggesting the vapor can disable important immune cells in the lungs, which could lead to inflamed tissues.

英國研究人員研究了電子香煙對呼吸系統(tǒng)的影響，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，電子煙的蒸汽致使肺部里重要的免疫細胞罷工，從而導致組織發(fā)炎。

In the study, published in the British Medical Journal Thorax, the team discusses the effect that e-cigarette liquid and vapor have on alveolar macrophage, the principal immune system response in the lungs that get rid of infectious, toxic, or allergic particles from the respiratory organs. The team found a more severe decline in a culture of these cells when they were exposed to the vapor compared directly to the liquid.

這項研究發(fā)表在英國醫(yī)學雜志 Thorax 上，研究小組討論了電子香煙液體和蒸氣對肺泡巨噬細胞的影響。巨噬細胞參與了肺部主要的免疫反應，它們可以去除呼吸器官中的具有傳染性、毒性或過敏性的粒子。 研究小組發(fā)現(xiàn)，與暴露在液體里相比，這些細胞暴露在蒸汽中時，受到的損傷更大些。

The research is a first step in understanding the effect that vaping might have on humans, but it is not yet a complete picture. The authors state that further research is actually needed to completely assess the effects, but this work shows that the idea that e-cigarettes are completely safe is questionable.

這是第一次研究人員就電子煙蒸汽對人類影響做了深入研究，但目前還未形成定論。作者指出，還需要進一步的研究來徹底地評估其影響，但是這項研究表明，電子香煙是完全安全的這一想法值得懷疑。

“I don't believe e-cigarettes are more harmful than ordinary cigarettes – but we should have a cautious skepticism that they are as safe as we are being led to believe,” senior author Professor David Thickett from the University of Birmingham stated. “They are safer in terms of cancer risk – but if you vape for 20 or 30 years and this can cause COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], then that's something we need to know about.”

伯明翰大學的資深作者大衛(wèi) · 西克特教授說："我認為，電子香煙當然不及普通香煙害處大，但我們應該謹慎一點，對它的安全性持懷疑態(tài)度。就癌癥風險而言，它們的確更安全。但如果你吸電子煙長達20年或30年，也是可能導致 COPD (慢性阻塞性肺病)的，這一點我們不能忽視。"

The study shows that e-cigarette vapor can do harm although it is not certain it will do harm. The researchers themselves admit that it is difficult to recreate real-life conditions in the lab. Other experts also suggest looking at the bigger picture: Most e-cigarette users are current or former smokers, so the potential damage needs to be in comparison to regular cigarettes.

研究表明，雖然無法確定電子煙蒸汽造成的傷害有多嚴重，但它的確對人有害。研究方也表明，在實驗室中模擬真實的生活條件太難了。其他專家也建議不能拘泥于此細節(jié)，畢竟大多數(shù)電子香煙使用者都是曾經(jīng)或者正在抽煙的人，因此我們需要將其潛在的危害與普通香煙相比。

“[A] key question is how this adverse effect compares with that of exposure to cigarette smoke. The current study does not address that question, but given the much lower levels and range of toxins in electronic cigarette vapor relative to cigarette smoke, the answer is likely to be substantially less,” Professor John Britton, Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies at the University of Nottingham, who was not involved in the study, told the Science Media Centre.

雖然英國煙草與酒精研究中心主任約翰 · 布里頓教授沒有參與這項研究，但他告訴科學媒體中心："關鍵問題在于，這種不利影響與直接接觸香煙煙霧的不利影響相比有何不同。目前的研究并沒有解決這個問題，但鑒于電子香煙蒸氣中的毒素水平和影響范圍較傳統(tǒng)香煙都弱很多，所以其危害還是大大減少了。“

“The harsh truth is that smoking kills, and smokers who switch completely to electronic cigarettes are likely substantially to reduce the likelihood of premature death and disability.”

”事實便是，吸煙致命，那些吸煙的人完全轉(zhuǎn)向電子煙后，患病、過早死亡的可能性都會大大降低。"

E-cigarettes are widely recognized by health organizations as potentially harmful, though better than cigarettes, although their full health effects are yet to be fully understood.

請記住，衛(wèi)生組織普遍認為電子煙也是有害的，雖然比香煙更好點，但目前我們對它們之于健康的影響的研究還不夠透徹。