Mar 9, 2017 3 min read

Smoking was a popular pastime in the 1950s. Some doctors endorsed it as a source of relaxation, as did tobacco companies in ads featuring cheery people with a cigarette between fingers or lips. Baseball players, including young superstar Willie Mays, touted the wonders of Chesterfields and Camels as if they were the healing waters of Lourdes. The Marlboro Man became the epitome of rugged masculinity.

Those positive images were largely dashed in 1964, when U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued his landmark report tying smoking to adverse health, including lung cancer and heart disease. It caused a number of smokers to quit and dissuaded others from starting. Congress banned cigarette ads on TV and radio effective Jan. 2, 1971.

Yet, despite proven health hazards and the exorbitant cost of tobacco products, many continue to puff away.

For the past five years or so, though, a growing number have turned to an alternate – and apparently safer – form of smoking: the electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette.

It is an electronic device that vaporizes a fluid, usually flavored and often containing nicotine. E-cigarettes come in various types, some called vaporizers, some looking like a traditional cigarette. They serve the same purpose as smoking; users call it vaping.

The safety of e-cigarettes is a debatable issue. Proponents tout them as being free of tar and other chemicals that make true cigarettes dangerous. Medical professionals have no proof they are harmful. Public Health England determined in August 2015 that e-cigarettes were much safer and advised smokers to start vaping.

Although not all e-cigarettes include nicotine, opponents say it is an addictive drug and caution the long-term effects of this alternative product will not be known for a while. University of California researchers reported in December 2015 that they found vapor “damages DNA in ways that could lead to cancer.”

E-cigarettes appear to be popular among young people, who may be at risk, according to the surgeon general’s 2016 report. It said in part: “E-cigarette use among U.S. youth and young adults is now a major public health concern.

E-cigarette use … (grew) an astounding 900 percent among high school students from 2011 to 2015. These products are now the most commonly used form of tobacco among youth in the United States, surpassing conventional tobacco products … . Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which can cause addiction and can harm the developing adolescent brain.”

Vaping has been a polarizing, and occasionally bitter, issue recently. Vape shop owners across Pennsylvania are upset with a 40 percent tax on inventories the state began to enforce Oct. 1. An official of the Pennsylvania Vape Association said more than 100 stores have closed since the tax took effect. Shop owners, fearing they may eventually have to shut down, are vociferously opposed to the levy. Some contend the state is trying to destroy their industry.

Then, Allegheny County Council banned vaping Tuesday in indoor public places. Allegheny became the second county in the state to enforce a ban, following Philadelphia in 2014.

Vaping does seem to be a viable, and probably healthier, option for tobacco smokers. But it does raise concerns as to whether it is a truly healthy alternative.