http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Electronic cigarettes are experiencing somewhat of a boom at the moment. An estimated two million people in Germany have already turned to the vapor cigarette, which many view as a healthy alternative to conventional smoking. However, a number of voices, primarily from the political sphere, are warning of possible health risks, claiming that the long-term consequences cannot yet be foreseen. Studies to date have come to mixed conclusions. There is a general lack of substantiated facts, fuelling an ongoing battle between supporters and opponents. By carrying out a new, independent study, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI in Braunschweig hope to introduce a degree of objectivity into this emotional topic of debate. The scientists' goal was to find out whether e-cigarettes pollute the surrounding air, thus affecting bystanders of an e-cigarette user. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-electronic-cigarettes.html Addiction Fri, 07 Dec 2012 11:00:02 EST news274098753 (Medical Xpress)—Deaths from solvent abuse rose to 46 in 2009 from 38 in 2008, according to a new report on the latest UK figures released today (Friday 16 November). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-annual-deaths-solvent-abuse-uk.html Health Fri, 16 Nov 2012 06:35:24 EST news272270116