你以为电子烟就不是抽烟？
英国研究人员研究了电子香烟对呼吸系统的影响，他们发现，电子烟的蒸汽致使肺部里重要的免疫细胞罢工，从而导致组织发炎。
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.
这项研究发表在英国医学杂志 Thorax 上，研究小组讨论了电子香烟液体和蒸气对肺泡巨噬细胞的影响。巨噬细胞参与了肺部主要的免疫反应，它们可以去除呼吸器官中的具有传染性、毒性或过敏性的粒子。 研究小组发现，与暴露在液体里相比，这些细胞暴露在蒸汽中时，受到的损伤更大些。
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.
这是第一次研究人员就电子烟蒸汽对人类影响做了深入研究，但目前还未形成定论。作者指出，还需要进一步的研究来彻底地评估其影响，但是这项研究表明，电子香烟是完全安全的这一想法值得怀疑。
“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.”
伯明翰大学的资深作者大卫 · 西克特教授说："我认为，电子香烟当然不及普通香烟害处大，但我们应该谨慎一点，对它的安全性持怀疑态度。就癌症风险而言，它们的确更安全。但如果你吸电子烟长达20年或30年，也是可能导致 COPD (慢性阻塞性肺病)的，这一点我们不能忽视。"
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，虽然无法确定电子烟蒸汽造成的伤害有多严重，但它的确对人有害。研究方也表明，在实验室中模拟真实的生活条件太难了。其他专家也建议不能拘泥于此细节，毕竟大多数电子香烟使用者都是曾经或者正在抽烟的人，因此我们需要将其潜在的危害与普通香烟相比。
“[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.
虽然英国烟草与酒精研究中心主任约翰 · 布里顿教授没有参与这项研究，但他告诉科学媒体中心："关键问题在于，这种不利影响与直接接触香烟烟雾的不利影响相比有何不同。目前的研究并没有解决这个问题，但鉴于电子香烟蒸气中的毒素水平和影响范围较传统香烟都弱很多，所以其危害还是大大减少了。“
“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.”
”事实便是，吸烟致命，那些吸烟的人完全转向电子烟后，患病、过早死亡的可能性都会大大降低。"
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.
请记住，卫生组织普遍认为电子烟也是有害的，虽然比香烟更好点，但目前我们对它们之于健康的影响的研究还不够透彻。
