While many politicians and public health agencies are trying to condemn electronic cigarettes, two courageous cardiologists are using their strong reputation to fight back. This week, world renowned medical researchers Konstantinos Farsalinos and Riccardo Polosa published a strong defense of electronic cigarettes, debunking myths and offering real research to back ecigs as a positive choice for smokers that need help with smoking cessation.

Farsalinos and Polosa chose to speak out about ecigs after the BMA Occupational Committee Published an article last week, claiming that there is no real proof that ecigs are safe or effective. The doctors offered a thorough rebuttal to the BMA’s comments, insisting that there is an abundance of scientific evidence that “clearly indicates e-cigarettes are considerably less harmful than tobacco cigarettes.” The cardiologists chastised the BMA for offering misguided information and outdated research as a basis for condemning ecigs.

While the BMA pointed out that there could be potentially unknown health consequences associated with vaping, Farsalinos and Polosa said this was an invalid argument that had no place in the medical community. “Of course, unexpected health consequences may occur in the medical profession as it has been also the case with several medications… But this cannot be used as a valid argument to oppose e-cigarettes.”

The BMA suggested that ecigs be quarantined until long-term research is conducted, but the cardiologists said that this was an unreasonable expectation that could be paralyzing to the future of medical progress. “Even for medications, no regulatory agency is asking for long-term safety data before being approved for use.” If medications are freely released without any significant research into long-term effects, why is the medical community constantly demanding that ecigs require years of research prior to their release? This is especially ludicrous considering all the research we already have on hand that shows ecigs are much less harmful than tobacco cigarettes and they are highly effective for helping smokers to quit.

In the BMA’s report, there is a lot of emphasis on the potential toxicity of e-liquids if ingested by children. However, the cardiologists insist that there is no real research to suggest that poisoning is even a concern. “Until now, there are no documented cases of deaths from exposure to e-cigarette liquids. It is misleading to quote occasional cases of accidental poisoning without providing professional medical reporting.” The cardiologists suggested that there are far fewer poisonings reported in relation to e-liquids than we see on a monthly basis from very basic household cleaners.

The cardiologists also take issue with the fact the BMA report cites research on nicotine toxicity that dates back to the 19th Century. They point out that newer research gives far different data on the amount of nicotine required to cause a fatal overdose. Further, the cardiologists condemned the BMA’s allegations that nicotine is closely related to cancer. “On the contrary, there is a wealth of epidemiological data of long-term nicotine intake from snus use. Evidence shows that there is minimal, if any, effect of snus (and the resulting nicotine intake) in cancer incidence.”

Farsalinos and Polosa conclude their rebuttal by calling for responsible reporting from the medical community. “It is irresponsible to promote risks that are not proven and to deprive smokers of a product which, based on all scientific evidence, is reducing their exposure to health hazards to a large extent.”

It is certainly a positive step for the ecig community to have such world renowned physicians release a very public defense of electronic cigarettes. If you have friends and family that are constantly on your back for vaping, maybe the information from these cardiologists will ease their minds.