FDA Reply

[mintee]

Shot off an email to the FDA a few days ago, and they actually replied.

Just thought that is should be posted here. The reply came from DRUGINFO@fda.hhs.gov

Dear Mr. xxxxxxxx,
Thank you for making your opinions and concerns known to the Agency. We appreciate your thoughts and experiences regarding electronic cigarette, cigar, and pipe products.

Best regards,

kw
Division of Drug Information
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
Food and Drug Administration

This communication is consistent with 21CFR10.85(k) and constitutes and informal communication that represents our best judgment at this time but does not constitute and advisory opinion, does not necessarily represent the formal position of the FDA, and does not bind or otherwise obligate or commit the agency to the views expressed.

From: Jimmy xxxxxxxx [mailto:jimmy@xxxxxxx.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 6:28 PM
To: CDRH Registration and Listing
Subject: Electronic Cigarette

TWIMC,

Hello, My name is James xxxxxxxxx, and I am a 32 year old male living currently in New Jersey. I'm originally from the Tobacco state of North Carolina. I started smoking at a young age, 14 years old and have have been a 1 to 2 pack a day smoker ever since.

Well, ever since 3 months ago when I purchased my first Electronic Cigarette Kit. The kit came with 11mg "eliquid" which is considered medium, to be compaired with light cigarettes. I had previously been smoking Newport Lights, so that was perfect for me. Initially I dropped smoking real tobacco cigarettes by 50% the first day. By the end of the week, I wasn't smoking real cigarettes at all. Now to this day, I carry my Electronic Vaporizer with me and I use a 4mg Nicotine liquid. That's over 50% less nicotine that I'm taking, and I very rarely ever feel a crave. The next step will be to purchase some 0mg eliquid and literally give up nearly 20 years of Nicotine addiction. After that, I can literally throw away the Electronic Vaporizer and wash my hands clean.

I'm not quite sure how the Tobacco lobbyist have gotten this far with killing thousands of Americans everyday, but after 3 months without them, I feel much healthier, I can taste food better, and will soon have no dependencies for any chemical what-so-ever.

If you need to contact me for any other reasons, questions, or inquires, you can feel free.

James xxxxx
xxx xxxxxx Ave
xxxxx, NJ xxxxx
215-xxx-xxxx

Thank you for listening to my opinion, and I hope whatever the ruling will be, that it will be in the BEST/HEALTHIEST interest of all Americans.

[Straykat]

I wish more folks would take up the pen kike you did.

[mintee]

Thanks for the move, didn't realize it should have been there.

[TiggerST67]

I also contacted the FDA, along with every organization quoted on their site via email. I did not get a response from the FDA, but I did get several from the American Heart Association, and the American Legacyfoundation. I must say the resulting dialog was interesting with the Heart Association. I cannot post it here directly since I am still new to the forum, but I can give you a summary of the discussion. I was answered by Arlene L. Here is basically the reply: (I paraphrased for brevity)
First I got a lecture on the effects of nicotine on the body about raising blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. Following that up with she believed I did not know that the e cigarette contained nicotine and was not as harmless a product as I had been led to believe.
Her VERY NEXT paragraph suggested that if I was committed to quitting I should try the NICOTINE patch and/or other pills, etc.
Is it just me, or did she actually suggest I stop e smoking in favor of the nicotine patch? You will need to know at this point in my last email, the one she is responding to here, I clearly explained to her that I had a horrible reaction to the patch. I worked outside at the time, I had on a patch, and my body temp went very high since it was a hot day. What I didn't know at the time was a patch works off your body temp, so if your temp goes up, so does the dose you get from the patch. I got an entire dose from the patch in less than two hours, and got very ill.
She completely ignored everything I told her, instead responding with something out of a book they must have there. Obviously I was dismissed by her, she probably didn't read what I had sent, but I am still glad I sent it. I write at least one letter a week to my reps and senators and have offered to meet them at their office to discuss the benefits of the e cigarette in person. So far, I have had no takers. I won't give up though. I don't rant or rave at them, even when I want to, I have remained civil. I think it will pay off in the future. I think educating the public is key to this, not only for new e smokers, but nonsmokers as well, since they are the majority. I have gotten negative responses due to negative press about propylene glycol, my response is do you like salad dressing? Check your label, it is probably in there. I let them know they have been ingesting propylene glycol for years. That willl usually end the conversation with the naysayers.

[Vocalek]

I think educating the public is key to this, not only for new e smokers, but nonsmokers as well, since they are the majority. I have gotten negative responses due to negative press about propylene glycol, my response is do you like salad dressing? Check your label, it is probably in there. I let them know they have been ingesting propylene glycol for years. That willl usually end the conversation with the naysayers.

Whoa! That is GREAT info! I Googled and hit this page:
The Straight Dope: What is the "propylene glycol alginate" found in salad dressings?

A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge
What is the "propylene glycol alginate" found in salad dressings?

Dear Cecil:
Why is "propylene glycol alginate" found in salad dressings? It sounds suspiciously similar to a famous antifreeze.
— Gary K., Phoenix
Dear Gary:
Propylene glycol alginate is used as a thickener and stabilizer in such products as ice cream and candy as well as salad dressing. Originally derived from brown algae and since mixed with a few other goodies, the chemical has been used for almost a century in one form or another. It's on the government's GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list, but that just means it's been around for a long time and hasn't killed enough people to be conspicuous. As with many additives, little long-term testing has been done. PGA does not accumulate in the body, which is mildly reassuring, but there is some evidence that it inhibits the absorption of whatever nutrients happen to be in the food product it's mixed in with. On the positive side, it also inhibits the absorption of strontium, one of the more toxic components of nuclear fallout ... something to keep in mind if you ever do menu planning the day after the Big One drops.
— Cecil Adams

So we might be protecting ourselves against lung cancer, too!