Health, environment damage: alternative tobacco products ‘are not the solution’

Next-generation tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco alternatives are not the solution to damage caused by the tobacco industry to both public health and the environment, according to speakers at a World Health Organization (WHO) conference.

E-cigarettes are not a more environmentally friendly solution, as the whole of the product lifestyle from production to recycling must be considered, they added. Tobacco production still contributes significantly to farming issues such as deforestation, and the need for tobacco is not eliminated through the use of e-cigarettes.