TY - JOUR T1 - Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS): the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning? JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 585 LP - 588 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00124114 VL - 44 IS - 3 AU - Francesco Blasi AU - Brian Ward Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/3/585.abstract N2 - 5 million people in the world die of active smoking and more than 600 000 nonsmokers die from exposure to passive smoke annually [1]. Smoking is recognised as one of the major preventable causes of death. It significantly increases the chances of developing a respiratory disorder and over half of respiratory disease-related deaths are due to smoking [2],[3]. One of the key points in the fight against the tobacco epidemic is to encourage as many smokers as possible to quit [4]. The emergence of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), or electronic (e)-cigarettes, presents complex considerations in this context. E-cigarettes have been subject to regulatory, legal and evidentiary gaps, and they have been met with contrasting reaction from public health experts, clinicians, scientists and governments [5]–[10]. Some focus strongly on the benefits of these products based on the available evidence while others highlight the risks, also based on the evidence. In certain assessments, they are the beginning of the end for tobacco use, while in others, they herald a new public health threat [11]–[14]. It is argued that e-cigarettes and other novel nicotine devices could provide an effective alternative to conventional cigarettes. The case for the potential benefit is that e-cigarettes could lead to a significant decrease in the prevalence of smoking, prevent many deaths and episodes of serious illness, and help to reduce health inequalities that tobacco smoking currently exacerbates [15]. Moreover, e-cigarettes do not involve the combustion of tobacco, and … ER -