A health foundation yesterday said that there is no clear evidence that smoking electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) can help people quit smoking, but might even extend the time that smokers take to quit.
The John Tung Foundation, a non-governmental organization that promotes anti-smoking campaigns, is hosting a quit smoking competition running from today to May 29 that challenges long-term smokers to stop smoking all tobacco products. Only contestants that succeed in the challenge have a chance to win a cash prize of up to NT$300,000 in the final lottery.
The foundation said that smoking cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, pipes or e-cigarettes, or using chewing tobacco or snuff, are prohibited during the competition.
Foundation chief executive officer Yao Shi-yuan (姚思遠) said although e-cigarettes are not like traditional cigarettes that contain up to 93 types of carcinogens, they pose many other health risks.
A 14-year-old American was blinded in one eye and faces potentially permanent damage to his hand after an e-cigarette he was holding exploded, Yao said, adding that many cases of e-cigarette explosions and several cases of e-cigarette liquid poisoning have been reported in the past few years.
Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital’s tobacco cessation clinic director Hsueh Kuang-chieh (薛光傑) said e-cigarette liquid often contains nicotine, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propylene glycol, diacetyl, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and other chemical fragrances — some of which are carcinogenic.
While it might take a few years before all negative health effects of smoking e-cigarettes are confirmed, people can still be addicted to e-cigarettes and using them might be harmful, Hsueh said, adding that studies have proved e-cigarettes can help smokers quit smoking, but might delay attempts.
Hsueh suggested smokers who are seeking safe and effective ways to quit smoking should go to specialized tobacco cessation clinics at various hospitals for medical advice.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS