NPR/Science Friday "What Science Says About E-Cigarettes" (aired 5/27/16)

[Glinda]

Did anyone else hear this disturbing Science Friday piece on May 27 titled, "What Science Says About E-Cigarettes"?

The guest "authority"- Aruni Bhatnagar MD- chaired the American Heart Association’s first report on the safety of e-cigarette products, and he is principal investigator in developing the AHA’s tobacco regulation and addiction center.

One of the more distressing moments of the interview occurs where Ira Flatow asks about the impact of vaping on the heart, and instead of answering with an honest "I don't know", he stumbles on to state the obvious about cigarettes (?!). I find this especially shocking in light of the paper published a month before, presented by the eminent scientists of MRC IEU regarding the results of their research and actual tests on- yes!- heart cells.

I'd like to know why such an important member of the AHA did not know about the findings of such important research, or worse, outright disregarded or omitted mentioning it during the interview.

Transcript of the show here: http://www.sciencefriday.com/…/what-science-says-about-e-c…/

Research Paper here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/…/article/pii/S0376871616300473

 

[retired1]

If more people vaped than smoked cigarettes, what do you think would happen to the money that's funneled into the American Heart Association and similar organizations.

Those organizations have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo in order to continue to receive money.