"E-Cigarettes Are Potentially Harmful "

[numba1quiter]

Here's another article full of speculation and misinformation. As of 6:13am there are no comments. Hopefully we can get some truth out there.

www. laboratoryequipment. com/news/2013/01/e-cigarettes-are-potentially-harmful
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here's an excerpt from the article:

"E-cigarettes have candy-like flavors that appeal to kids"

Edit:

I decided to copy and paste the Canadian Lung Association's press release here
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January 21, 2013
Canadian Lung Association: Don’t be fooled by e-cigarettes!
During National Non-Smoking Week (January 20-26, 2013), the Canadian Lung Association encourages people to quit using proven methods

(Ottawa) For National Non-Smoking Week, the Canadian Lung Association encourages people who want to quit smoking to use scientifically proven methods and to avoid gimmicky unproven methods, like electronic cigarettes.

“Don’t be fooled by e-cigarettes. These electronic devices could be potentially harmful to lung health and are not an approved quit smoking aid by either Health Canada or the U.S. Federal Drug Administration,” says Margaret Bernhardt-Lowdon, a tobacco issues spokesperson for the Canadian Lung Association.

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that are designed to look like and be used in the same manner as regular cigarettes. These devices contain cartridges that may be filled with nicotine, flavouring and other chemicals. E-cigarettes electronically vaporize a solution creating a mist that is breathed into the lungs.

Although not approved by Health Canada, they are readily available to purchase in Canadian retail outlets and from the internet. In 2009, Health Canada issued an advisory warning Canadians to not use e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes are not proven safe
“People who use e-cigarettes inhale unknown, unregulated and potentially harmful substances into their lungs,” says Dr. Theo Moraes, a medical spokesperson for the Canadian Lung Association and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. “There are many nicotine replacement therapies approved by Health Canada to help someone quit smoking; the e-cigarette is not one of them.”

E-cigarettes may contain ingredients that are known to be toxic to humans including carcinogens and diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in antifreeze i. In initial lab tests, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found detectable levels of carcinogens and toxic chemicals in two leading brands of e-cigarettes and 18 various cartridges. ii

E-cigarettes have candy-like flavours that appeal to kids
The Canadian Lung Association is greatly concerned that e-cigarettes with candy-like flavours, such as chocolate and vanilla, are being marketed and sold to youth.

“We are afraid that e-cigarettes, if not regulated, may lead more young people to start smoking,” says Dr. Moraes, who is also a staff respirologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. “These products have candy-like flavours, which appeal to children and teenagers and can be bought by those under the age of 18. We are also concerned that e-cigarettes may lead kids to try other tobacco products.”
Many proven ways to quit smoking

There are many proven ways to quit smoking, such as individual or group counseling, stop-smoking medication and nicotine replacement therapies (gum, patch, lozenges, inhalers). “Many people think they can quit on their own, but getting counseling can greatly increase your likelihood of quitting and staying quit,” says Ms. Bernhardt-Lowdon.

 

[numba1quiter]

Here's the source of the current spat of anti-ecig news:

www. lung. ca/media-medias/news-nouvelles_e.php?id=689
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here are the people to contact if you don't agree:

Janis Hass
Director of Marketing and Communications
The Canadian Lung Association
(613) 569-6411, ext. 225
jhass@lung.ca

Theo Moraes , MD, PhD, FRCPC
Phone: 416-813-2196
Fax: 416-813-6246
e-mail: theo.moraes@sickkids.ca

 

[Beretta]

Here's my letter.

#####################

RE: "E-Cigarettes Are Potentially Harmful " @
www. lung. ca/media-medias/news-nouvelles_e.php?id=689
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Mrs. Theo Moraes,

Please stop spreading FUD (Fear, uncertainty, and doubt) among the Canadian and American population on ecigarettes, and allow the natural progression of regulation to iron out the inconsistencies in eliquids for ecigarettes. I am not fooled by your specious propaganda machine, which will end up hurting and killing the vast majority of the smoking population by keeping them addicted to tobacco products, which we all know have thousands of chemicals, and many known carcinogens, which are combusted during the smoking process. Traditional methods of quitting tobacco, like nicotine replacement therapry (NRTs), did not work for me, and do not work for countless others. I just ended up addicted to expensive NRTs, which benefits Big Pharma. Whose side are you on here? Big Tobacco, or Big Pharma?

Ecigarette liquid contains:

1) either a base of PG (Propylene Glycol), which is APPROVED by the FDA, or Vegetable Glycerin, which is APPROVED by the FDA
2) flavorings
3) Nicotine at various strengths

None of these ingredients are combusted during the inhalation process, potentially creating a chemical reaction, and dangerous carcinogens. Instead they are atomized in atomizers, and dispersed into the mouth, throat, nose, and lungs. Detectable levels of carcinogens are rare, and if found, are inconsequential as compared to smoking tobacco.

Ecigarettes are a form of "tobacco harm reduction". This is a new strategy for reducing the harm of tobacco in the population, and it is working from what I have witnessed on the ECF forums (e-cigarette-forum.com). Please accept this strategy officially, as it will end up saving lives, by switching people from tobacco to ecigarettes. I understand it is better for the lungs not to inhale anything but air (which contains carcinogens anyway), but smoking abstinence programs do not have a high success rate, and they do have a high rate of relapse back to tobacco.

We live in the real world, where people are addicted to nicotine, AND the habitual and social rituals of "smoking". The latter is not discussed as much. Those bad habits aren't going to go away by counseling or nicotine replacement therapies entirely. If traditional therapies do not work, an ecigarette is working for many people, because it satisfies both the nicotine addition, and the social and habitual behavior of smoking. But, they are not inhaling tar or 3000+ carcinogens.

I've tried every "approved" method of quitting smoking tobacco (except for Chantix thank God), and they do not work for me, and more importantly don't work for the population as a whole. I have been a smoker for 10+ years, and hated myself for not being able to quit. On ecigarettes, I have been tobacco smoke free for 2 weeks now, and I can breathe so much better already. The "vapor" that comes from my ecigarette is not giving me tar and 3000+ carcinogens found in tobacco, and I feel good that it will help to improve my health.

I am in agreement that there needs to be "sensible" regulation to determine what chemicals go into eliquids to keep them safer, but without OVER regulating the nicotine content so low that it makes them ineffective in the overall harm reduction strategy. Some two pack a day smokers need the 34mg per ml to kick the tobacco habit, but most move down to 18 - 24mg/ml, or less.

You wrote:

"Ottawa) For National Non-Smoking Week, the Canadian Lung Association encourages people who want to quit smoking to use scientifically proven methods and to avoid gimmicky unproven methods, like electronic cigarettes."

This is a specious argument. There is nothing "gimmicky" about ecigarettes. There are many reputable ecigarette and eliquid manufacturers, as well as their customer base. Both take their products VERY seriously. We don't need the regulatory ogliarchy's approval in Canada or the U.S. to know that something is working for the population.

You wrote:

“We are afraid that e-cigarettes, if not regulated, may lead more young people to start smoking,” says Dr. Moraes, who is also a staff respirologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. “These products have candy-like flavours, which appeal to children and teenagers and can be bought by those under the age of 18.

An understandable point. We agree these products should not be for sale, or marketed to youth, period. No disagreements there. I know of zero ecig manufacturers or eliquid distributors that are marketing to minors, or selling them to minors. If they are, they should be forbidden to do so. We need better parenting in this area also.

You included:

"There are many proven ways to quit smoking, such as individual or group counseling, stop-smoking medication and nicotine replacement therapies (gum, patch, lozenges, inhalers). “Many people think they can quit on their own, but getting counseling can greatly increase your likelihood of quitting and staying quit,” says Ms. Bernhardt-Lowdon."

Inhalers? You mean nicotine inhalers? Well that's what ecigarettes are. Ecigarettes are superior to inhalers because they satisfy the habitual and social aspects of smoking. They are actually PVs (Personal Vaporizers). They accomplish the same thing, except they gratify the habitual and social addition of smoking, which goes ignored by health authorities. Traditional nicotine therapy (gum, patch, lozengens, inhalers) DONOT address the habitual and social addition of smoking cigarettes. That's why they don't work, and are not proven to work in the general population.

Until unbiased scientific data comes out proving that the staple ingredients in regulated eliquids are AS BAD as smoking tobacco, we at ECF would appreciate your support in the harm reduction strategy, instead spreading FUD, and promoting failed methods of quitting tobacco, such as nicotine replacement therapies, which are not proven to work. Your "Canadian Lung Association: Don’t be fooled by e-cigarettes!" article will only line the pockets of Big Tobacco and Big Pharma, while smokers suffer and die from being misled by your article regarding the benefits of ecigarettes.

Let it be known. Our movement is growing fast, and we and our harm reduction strategy are coming. Please embrace it, instead of failed NRTs.

Best Regards,
Beretta

 

[tommy2bad]

No point contacting CLA, they know all this already. It's their job to dissuade people from alternatives to their sponsors products. Get your point into comments sections of reports of their press release and letters pages of papers carrying it.
As someone said* no point telling truth to power, they know, tell the powerless and make them powerful.

*and if they didn't, they should have.

 

[SilentScreams]

Everything is potentially harmful. Hell the chicken I'm cooking for supper tonight is potentially harmful.

 

[Vocalek]

Be sure to check out today's posting on Anti-THR Lies: Don’t Be Fooled by the Canadian Lung Association | Anti-THR Lie of the Day

 

[rolygate]

ECF Members: please remember to break links to junk articles, lurid press releases and anti-cig propaganda.

By linking to them you give them a massive boost of googlejuice from ECF. Posts here are indexed by Google in a matter of minutes and get maximum weight with them, as they regard us as a gold source (we have thousands of Google #1 results and a massive TrustRank with them). If you give links to pharma-funded liars and incompetent journalists then you aren't helping the community at all. The search engines give more weight to resources linked to from out of ECF. We are happy to give that help to community resources and even to ecig vendors, as it all helps - but not to paid liars and loony toons.

Just break the link by making a space before and after the domain name, like this, and people can see where it is but there is no hyperlink:

www. junkscience .com/pharma-lies.html

Thanks!