Fox 5 news e-cigarette debate

[kevbow]

I found this post on another website. It was posted by spikey so I give her credit for the find. I was outraged by this news report

Newsmaker: Electronic Cigarettes

 

[pianoguy]

The anchor sounded more well-versed in e-cigs than the public health doctor.

 

[skinny]

WOW is all I can say. So sad to lean that "we the people" can no longer trust anybody in authority, or who feeds us information. Government and media have no interest in giving us true and correct info...so sad
I know most of you here know and understand e-cigs, and I'm sure your jaw dropped hearing this--just think--now that you heard this, just imagine all the untrue info that is said about more important issues the "really" effect our lives--majorly.
Game over!

 

[Trish342]

That was so sad.

 

[frisco]

Wasn't it a doctor from Emory that appeared on Good Morning Atlanta and gave positive report on ecigs. The clip is in this thread.

 

[mom2-7girls]

That lady looked like and talked like she had no clue what she was there for until that said your on the air...haha She didnt even say anything was bad just that there was no testing done yet.....

 

[MoonRose]

What is worse than what that doctor had to say is the fact that the person who was supposed to be there to talk on behalf of e-cigs, left stating that he was afraid he wouldn't get a fair hearing. That in and of itself, makes a lot of people think that e-cigs are really dangerous and that this person knows it and was afraid to try to defend them against what the doctor had to say.

 

[JustJulie]

I found this post on another website. It was posted by spikey so I give her credit for the find. I was outraged by this news report

Newsmaker: Electronic Cigarettes

My guess is Spikey picked it up off of Siegel's blog. I start every day by reading "The Rest of the Story: tobacco News Analysis and Commentary."

The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary: At Home and Abroad, Facts About Electronic Cigarettes are Grossly Misrepresented by Health Experts

 

[kristin]

I commented:

Some facts to counter Dr. Berg's comments:

1. The e-cigarette base is propylene glycol. It is non-toxic and also used as a base in artificial food flavoring (like the vanilla you use in cookies) and also to make a non-toxic fog used in nightclubs and theaters. The FDA found a non-toxic amount of diethylene glycol (used in anti-freeze) in ONE cartridge. It has not been found in any e-cigarette tested since, yet medical professionals still claim that "e-cigarettes contain a component in anti-freeze," based solely on this one anomaly. Dr. Berg, instead of relying on the FDA press release, why not check the actual FDA test results and the results of independent tests? After that, tell me if you will still use that "anti-freeze' claim and call yourself a medical professional.

2. The carcinogens the FDA found were at trace levels - parts per TRILLION - and are at the same levels as found in FDA-approved nicotine patches. If the FDA considers those levels acceptable in the nicotine patch, why are they (and health professionals, such as Dr. Berg) announcing those levels are of concern in e-cigarettes? Dr. Berg, should we call for more testing on nicotine patches, as well?

3. The "intended use" of e-cigarettes is NOT meant to be a nicotine cessation aid. They are meant to replace tobacco cigarettes as a less-toxic method to use nicotine and get a "smoking-like" experience. Since the ingredients used in e-cigarettes are all FDA-approved for human consumption (Propylene glycol, food flavoring, nicotine) how much "rigorous testing" is really needed to determine that those 3 ingredients are safer than the proven toxins found in tobacco smoke? The people using these do not want to quit using nicotine - just quit smoking. Other "approved" smoking treatments require smokers to quit using nicotine.

Dr. Berg, as an educated medical professional, must acknowledge that nicotine use - absent the smoke - is relatively harmless. The risks of such use are very similar to caffeine use. Anyone who uses the addictive stimulant caffeine cannot judge people who use smokeless nicotine without complete hypocracy.

4. Dr. Berg claims that other cessation products don't "cater" to a different audience with cartoons or flavors. I guess that funny shark attack commercial wouldn't appeal to kids? And doesn't Nicorette also come in cherry and mint flavors? The fact of the matter is that adult smokers enjoy cartoons and comedy and things that taste good. Nicorette seems to know this, but Dr. Berg seems painfully unaware of these facts.

5. Dr. Berg said that public health and medicine are responsible to assure that the products don't have significant health consequences. So, explain Chantix and it's known side-effects? There have been serious side effects associated with Chantix - up to and including death. In 7 years on the world market, no serious illness nor any deaths have been linked to e-cigarette use. Why is that fact ignored by "public health?"

In real-world trials that are going on, consumers are reporting the ability to switch completely from smoking to e-cigarettes, report better health and have reported no serious adverse effects. Yet the FDA and public health groups are warning against e-cigarettes as if they have shown to be dangerous. Where is the logic? Would testing by lab machines and testing of small, controlled groups of people really give us a better idea of e-cigarette safety and effectiveness than the hundreds of thousands who have been using them for years?

6. Mr. Spencer felt it was a "small step" from e-cigarette to smoking the "real thing." This is a completely illogical assumption. First of all, why would a kid spend $35 - $150 for an e-cigarette kit, when they can get the real thing for $5 - $12 a pack? Secondly, testimonials from adult e-cigarette users say that the pleasant taste of e-cigarettes make tobacco smoke taste particularly foul. This has not been the case when using patches and gums - most smokers have no adverse reaction to the tobacco taste after using those products and readily return to smoking. (Patches and gums only have a 7% success rate of nicotine and smoking cessation, so 97% of smokers return to smoking cigarettes.) So, why would a teen switch from the pleasant cherry flavor that supposedly caused them to buy the e-cigarette in the first place to foul-tasting tobacco smoke? The argument has no base in reality.

7. Ms. Fowle is correct that there will be a lot more "smoking" in public if the FDA and public health professionals, such as Dr. Berg, get their way and e-cigarettes are regulated as nicotine cessation products. This would effectively ban their sale. Hundreds of thousands of smokers will go back to "real" smoking. This is something that legislators reliant on billions of dollars of tobacco tax revenues and public health groups reliant on millions of dollars of pharmaceutical funding are apparently banking on.

I also said they should contact CASAA or Dr. Siegel instead of industry people for counter-points!

 

[kristin]

Darn, I could have just copied and pasted his post! LOL!

My guess is Spikey picked it up off of Siegel's blog. I start every day by reading "The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary."

The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary: At Home and Abroad, Facts About Electronic Cigarettes are Grossly Misrepresented by Health Experts

 

[emus]

I'm not surprised that cancer research organizations have blown through decades and billions to not find a cancer cure.

Not the first time a potential cure is shoved in their face; they fight it kicking and screaming.

Too bad they don't embrace and study potential cures.

Not easy for researchers as they have their job security at risk.

 

[Gamer]

articles like that just really piss me off. Ignorance in the media....

I dont like Sarah Palin but i believe she once called the media "Corrupt .......s" and thats something I can stand behind

 

[Bustastew]

I'm not surprised that cancer research organizations have blown through decades and billions to not find a cancer cure.

Not the first time a potential cure is shoved in their face; they fight it kicking and screaming.

Too bad they don't embrace and study potential cures.

Not easy for researchers as they have their job security at risk.

That is why I never donate, screw them!

 

[Vocalek]

I just could not resist leaving this comment. Wonder whether Atlanta Owner will recognize herself and seek medical help:

The compulsion to control the behavior of others through the means of derogatory labels and/or other coercive actions could be a sign of mental illness.