Electronic cigarettes: a survey of users

[mick37]

Interesting survey from Europe

"When asked about the three most negative aspects of ecigarettes (three fields, 154 comments), respondents complained in particular about the poor quality of the devices. They also reported that that ecigarettes were difficult or impractical to use (e.g. "it is difficult to refill the liquid"), that the dosage was difficult to adjust (either too high or too low), that the liquid can leak out during use, and complained about the lack of information on the composition of the vapour and any health risks associated with ecigarettes (Table 4)."

BioMed Central | Full text | Electronic cigarettes: a survey of users

 

[skinny]

Must have been using 510 e-cigs, or three piece design...lol
That'sa why I'm all for the 2-piece cartomizer design

 

[Vocalek]

Yes, that's the Etter study that has been discussed here when it was first published. We had some criticisms of how the information was presented. Why the focus on negative comments from the open-ended questions, when the data collected showed such a positive result?

Electronic cigarettes are probably less harmful than tobacco smoking, but they are almost certainly more dangerous than medicinal nicotine inhalers [6,7].

6.FDA: Summary of Results: Laboratory Analysis of Electronic Cigarettes Conducted By FDA. [http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm173146.htm] webcite
US: Food and Drug Administration (FDA); 2009.

7.WHO: WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product regulation. Report on the scientific basis of tobacco product regulation: third report of a WHO study group. In WHO Technical Report Series. Volume 955. Geneva: WHO; 2009.

We all know that the FDA study did not prove that e-cigarettes are dangerous: TSNA levels that match their approved NRT products and a sub-toxic quantity of a contaminant. And the WHO study did not contain any data relating to toxicology studies of e-cigarettes or negative impact on the health of users. Why is that a footnote to the statement?

Why was there no excitement and awe over the fact that 63% of the respondents to the survey reported they were now former smokers? Most had been using the products for about 3 months. What's the 3-month cessation rate for users of FDA-approved products? And the median number of cigarettes per day in those who were still smoking was 12. That's well below average.