THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - August 14, 2018 - Topic 2
Huff and e-puff: On
e-cigarette ban
In a recent hearing on public interest litigation
in the Delhi High Court, the Delhi government said it was planning to ban
e-cigarettes. If it follows through, the NCT will join States such as Karnataka
and Maharashtra in the ban. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has
taken a stand against e-cigarettes. But is a ban the right approach to regulate
this technology, given that combustible cigarettes are freely available across
India? The controversy exists partly because it is a new and rapidly evolving
technology. This makes it hard for researchers to study the health effects.
Still, the evidence so far indicates that e-cigarettes are safer than
combustible cigarettes.
Because they heat a liquid to generate a
nicotine-containing aerosol, instead of burning tobacco, they do not produce
toxic tars. That doesn’t mean they are completely safe. At high temperatures,
e-cigarettes produce carcinogens such as formaldehyde, although these are fewer
in number compared to regular cigarettes. They also increase the odds of lung disease
and myocardial infarction, but to a lesser extent than normal cigarettes do.
In the American Annual Review of Public
Health, in January 2018 a group of researchers argued that e-cigarettes must be
viewed from a “harm minimisation” perspective. Given that combustible
cigarettes are more noxious than electronic ones, switching from the former to
the latter can only help addicts, they argued. Writing in the same journal
issue, however, another group of researchers advocated the precautionary
principle. Given that e-cigarettes are a young technology, they said, it will
take time to uncover their ill-effects. Already we know some carcinogens in
e-cigarettes have a non-linear effect on cancer. This means even the low doses
in e-cigarette aerosols can be carcinogenic if inhaled for years. Recent
surveys also show that e-cigarettes can act as a gateway drug for young people.
A 2011 study of Korean adolescents found that e-cigarette users were more
likely to turn into regular smokers eventually. Plus, 2004-2014 data from the
U.S. National Youth Tobacco Surveys suggest that young people at low risk of
taking up smoking are turning to e-cigarettes. Against this background, India
must tread carefully. Completely banning the technology, while selling normal
cigarettes, could take away a promising smoking-cessation aid. A more pragmatic
option would be to regulate e-cigarettes tightly, by creating standards for the
aerosols and banning underage and public use. This would leave smokers with a
therapeutic alternative, while protecting youngsters from a gateway drug.
Either way, conflicting evidence makes it a tough call for policymakers.
Vocabulary
Litigation: the
process of taking legal action.
Example: The
company wishes to avoid litigation
Synonyms: legal
proceedings, legal action, lawsuit, legal dispute, legal
case
Combustible: able
to catch fire and burn easily.
Example: Highly
combustible paint thinner
Synonyms: inflammable, flammable, incendiary, ignitable
Controversy: disagreement,
typically when prolonged, public, and heated.
Example: He
sometimes caused controversy because of his forceful views
Synonyms: disagreement, dispute, argument, debate, dissension, contention
Evidence: be
or show evidence of.
Example: That
it has been populated from prehistoric times is evidenced by the remains of
Neolithic buildings
Synonyms: indicate, show, reveal, display, exhibit, manifest, testify
to, confirm
Infarction: the
obstruction of the blood supply to an organ or region of tissue, typically by a
thrombus or embolus, causing local death of the tissue.
Example: Secondly,
exertional angina can progress to unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction
, or death
Perspective: a
particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.
Example: Most
guidebook history is written from the editor's perspective
Synonyms: outlook, view, viewpoint, point
of view, POV, standpoint
Combustible: able
to catch fire and burn easily.
Example: Highly
combustible paint thinner
Synonyms: inflammable, flammable, incendiary, ignitable
Adolescent: in
the process of developing from a child into an adult.
Example: Pregnancy
and child bearing occur before adolescent girls are fully developed, exposing
them to great health risks.
Synonyms: teenage, pubescent, young, juvenile, teen
