Dr. Dennis W. Biggs Jr., M.D., in his letter of October 7, 2010 advised readers not to “smoke” electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) because he believes that they are untested.
Laboratory testing has been conducted on numerous brands. The prominent anti-smoking activist and tobacco researcher, Dr. Murray Laugesen conducted tests on the Ruyan brand of e-cigarettes in 2008 and reported, “The Ruyan® e-cigarette is designed to be a safe alternative to smoking, and appears to be safe in absolute terms on all measurements we have applied.”
ANALYZE, Inc. tested the
njoy brand of e-cigarettes for the presence of carcinogens in 2009 and the report was reviewed by Ben Thomas Group. The conclusion reached was “there is no evidence that carcinogenic TSNAs are present in the aerosol from
njoy electronic cigarettes. Thus, it is my conclusion that the TSNAs do not pose a health risk to the users of the electronic cigarettes distributed by
njoy. These reports and others can be accessed from the web site of the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association (CASAA):
CASAA.org
Virginia Commonwealth University conducted a clinical trail comparing the effects of two brands of electronic cigarettes with smoker’s regular brand and with sham smoking. Researchers concluded, “Under these acute testing conditions, neither of the electronic cigarettes exposed users to measurable levels of nicotine or CO, although both suppressed nicotine/tobacco abstinence symptom ratings.”
http://www.casaa.org/files/Virgiania Commonwealth University Study.pdf
Heavner, et al found that 79% of e-cigarette consumers surveyed were using the devices as a complete replacement for all their smoked cigarettes. “The majority of respondents reported that their general health (91%), smoker’s cough (97%), ability to exercise (84%), and sense of smell (80%) and taste (73%) were better since using e-cigarettes and none reported that these were worse.”
http://tobaccoharmreduction.org/wpapers/011v1.pdf
Had I continued smoking for the past 19 months instead of switching, I would still be kept awake at night by the sound of my wheezing and would still not be able to laugh out loud without breaking into a fit of coughing. Given the facts, perhaps Dr. Biggs would care to rethink his advice, which boils down to “Just keep smoking those regular tobacco cigarettes, folks.”
