Lets get those keyboards going - Feel free to use any parts of this that you choose.
To:
Nightly@NBC.com
Subject: URGENT REQUEST FOR MR. BRIAN WILLIAMS REGARDING FDA STATEMENTS
To Mr. Brian Williams,
Hello Sir,
Let me begin by saying that I believe you to be one of the few true journalists still serving in the profession. I have admired your work and watch your broadcast frequently. Just a couple of nights ago I watched you on the Daily Show with John Stewart. I always enjoy your appearances on his show and this one was no exception. In this appearance I was moved by your reflection on the life and work of Walter Cronkite. You stated that you had always wanted to be just like him. Within the constraints of the time you are afforded and the nature of present day broadcast news cycles, I believe you have gone a long way toward achieving this goal. I watched the story that you presented covering the Electronic Cigarette (E-cig) that aired earlier this week. I saddens me to inform you that in this piece you fell far short of your aspiration to emulate the man.
I am a member of the E-Cigarette-Forum (ECF) that was featured in your report. The statements put out by the FDA did come out at a time when it seems your report was already prepared, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt for now. Your reporting of the statements made by the FDA in regards to the safety of the E-cig was very one sided and showed no evidence of investigative reporting. I have spent a tremendous amount of my time researching this issue over the course of the past four months. There are some very important factors that must be addressed when reporting on this issue. First and foremost, when dealing with this issue it is a misconception that the E-cigs are not as safe as users of the device have claimed.
We tend to be a rather well educated and informed group and were never under any delusion that the E-cig was 100% safe. The reason that we have made an informed decision to use the devices is based on the fact that they are significantly safer than traditional tobacco cigarettes (analogs). There are over 4000 harmful chemicals in a tobacco cigarette. The FDA report points to 3 in the E-cig. Going by the FDA results the assertion that E-cigs are safer than tobacco holds true. What is even more significant is that similar chemicals are found in the FDA approved nicotine replacement therapy, Nicotrol. The FDA further dismisses the testing done by the New Zealand Health Department. This testing found similar results to the FDA testing yet made very different conclusions deciding that the E-cig is safer than a tobacco cigarette by a very high order of magnitude. The level of the offending components in the nicotine fluid (E-liquid) do not constitute serious risks to the user. This is overwhelmingly true when compared to the traditional tobacco cigarette. Again, I must point out that the E-cig is no more harmful than the highly touted Nicotrol device. It is also significantly less harmful than drugs like Chantix and Zyban. It is becoming apparent that the FDA, under political pressure from the American Lung Association and other anti-smoking groups, is not being clear or complete in the conclusions it is presenting to the public and is on a crusade to remove this viable option from the market. From my own personal experience of having smoked tobacco products for over 25 years, I can tell you that since switching to the E-cig I have noticed marked improvement in my health and well being.
I watched an interview with Mr. Cronkite from 2003 just last night. He was being asked about the state of your industry today. He was not pleased with what he saw. He pointed to the trend toward news becoming entertainment. When confronted with the statement that the news organizations were simply giving the people what they want, Mr. Cronkite responded by saying, "We should not give the people what they want. It is our job to give the people what they need." He went on to say that what the people need is full and complete information in order to make informed and rational decisions about the issue at hand.
In the name of Walter Cronkite, I beseech you to do just that. There are questions that must be asked in order to give the people what they need.
What the FDA did not tell the media or the public, and what the American Lung Association failed to express alarm over, is the fact that nicotine replacement products themselves have been found to have detectable levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamines, including 4-(methylnirosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN). Both of these chemicals are consistently carcinogenic in laboratory animals and are widely recognized as carcinogens present in tobacco products. The question is not over their presence, rather it is about the level of concentration and how this compares to the traditional tobacco cigarette. There was nothing done by the FDA to show what levels of these chemicals are actually being absorbed by the user. The fluid was tested for contents only did and not include human or animal testing. In fact, it would be fair to say that the testing was deeply flawed and hastily conducted.
These are questions that demand an answer:
1- Given the finding that nicotine replacement products and electronic cigarettes both contain carcinogens, why is it that the American Lung Association is only calling for the recall of electronic cigarettes, not other nicotine replacement products?
2- Why is the FDA allowing Chantix to remain on the market when we know that it has killed people?
3 - Why would the FDA lab use the nicotine inhaler as a control specimen rather than a tobacco cigarette and refuse to test the inhaler for carcinogens? The nicotine in them is derived from the same source (tobacco) as that in the E-cig.
4 - What are the levels present? The tests were done in parts per billion. This is normally done in parts per million. Why is that?
5 - How does the E-cig compare to the traditional tobacco cigarette as far as health risk is concerned? This is the real issue at hand!
I will give you links to much of this information at the bottom of this correspondence.
Let me close by saying,
I do sincerely hope that you will revisit this important issue of public health. In the name of your hero and a man that we all admired greatly, Mr. Walter Cronkite, I ask that you do the right thing and give the people what they need. You profess to aspire to his level of honest and thorough presenting of the news. Now is your chance to prove this to yourself and to the world on an issue that effects millions of lives.
And that's the way it is!
Thank you for your time and attention,
XXXXXXXXXXX
Austin, Texas
New Zealand Health Study results -
http://www.healthnz.co.nz/2ndSafetyReport_9Apr08.pdf
Tobacco specific nitrosamines in new tobacco products -
http://www.starscientific.com/404/st...0tsna in.pdf
A wealth of valuable data gathered by an ECF member - Propylene Glycol Research Study Results
FDA warnings about Chantix and Zyban - FDA: Boxed Warning on Serious Mental Health Events to be Required for Chantix and Zyban
Tobacco Harm Reduction Site - Tobaccoharmreduction.org
Blog site of a fellow ECF member - The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary
By the time I can, it may be too late
