Informing my Employer

[jbird22cal]

Hi all,

I'm a heavy Smoker and just got into vaping (the recent cold snap and inability to breathe pushed me to it.)

I have been talking with my co-workers about E-cigs. Some of them have tried them and others are either looking at them to use or use one as a smoking supplement.

I found out that our H.R. Department is looking into either letting us use them indoors or at least recommending them to us. I offered my assistance free of charge to the H.R. Director in an effort to expedite the process. She has not informed me of where she is at in the investigation or what exactly why it is being investigated. So I'm kind of flying blind on this.

Our Business, a Wisconsin Company will remain anonymous in this thread, is VERY health oriented. They offer massages, work out programs, walking contests, weight loss options, and a myriad of other programs. The company is zealous in the safety arena as well. The majority of us have received a lot of safety training and the company has ongoing safety programs and initiatives. The company also heavily discourages smoking.

The over all situation is delicate. We deal and manufacture components that go into sensitive applications for medical and industrial service products. So it is crucial to prove an image to our customers that we a a first rate company, We need to have clean grounds, a clean facility, and a clean atmosphere. It's imperative that our customers see, hear, and smell is professional and above 1st class.

What I'll do is simply email the link for this thread to H.R. and let them look into whatever they need to look into. H.R. is a very busy place and because I believe there can be a benefit to E-cigs at work I'm taking an initiative.

What I need help with to begin with is some credited sources that show the pros and cons. I could use mass media but Rachel Ray doesn't seam to know whats going on and there seams to be a slight controversy based on this whole idea of e-cigs that seams to "muddy up the waters"

I was told you fine folks were a great source of information by one of your members.

Thank you for your help! I hope to break some ground here.

 

[SmokingRT]

This is on another thread given to us by A CASSA peep. I have read the Harvard study and it is good and valid. I have not yet read the others but I would assume they are good as well. Hope this helps.

Best e-cigarette paper (non-industry):

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/centers-institutes/population-development/files/article.jphp.pdf
[fixed]

Links to e-cigarette/harm reduction relevant journal articles, studies, lab reports:

CASAA.org/Lab Reports

CASAA.org/Journal Articles

CASAA.org/Document Library (Scroll down to "Journal Articles, Reports, Studies & Reviews" section)

 

[jbird22cal]

Cool, I'll start looking into it, Thanks! The Harvard link is unfortunatley broken...

 

[SmokingRT]

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/centers-institutes/population-development/files/article.jphp.pdf Sorry here is an unbroken one. Wierd I just used that yesterday. Just did this one now though

 

[jbird22cal]

Thanks, Searching the harvard site was frustrating.

 

[electrowoman]

dr. michael siegel, boston u blogs frequently on this at The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary. he just completed a study on e-cigs, and he has the link at his site.

Tobaccoharmreduction.org is another useful resource. It's Drs. Brad Rodu and Carl Phillips site.

also, contact bill godshall here at ECF. he's often in the "news" section of the forum, posting all the latest stuff. he's the director of smoke free pennsylvania. also, KRISTIN here is with CASAA. and VOCALEK here is also w/CASAA. all of these guys can hook you up with more information than you'll ever need. maybe repost this in another part of the forum, so more folks can see it, and offer you help.

 

[kristin]

Sorry I somehow missed this thread!

I'm on the board of directors for the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternative Association (CASAA | The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association) and I live in Wisconsin. I'd be happy to speak with your HR person! (You can PM me her contact info or PM me and I'll give you my contact info to give her.)

 

[C-kool Dad '09]

Kristin - you are so awesome!

 

[jbird22cal]

Sorry I somehow missed this thread!

I'm on the board of directors for the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternative Association (CASAA | The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association) and I live in Wisconsin. I'd be happy to speak with your HR person! (You can PM me her contact info or PM me and I'll give you my contact info to give her.)

Thanks everyone!

I spoke with my HR director today and she appeared excited by your offer Kristen. I'll scrounge up some contact info and get it to you this week.

I'll try and find a spot to post this in the regular forum electro.

Thanks again all!

 

[kristin]

Jay - I never got a response from your HR director. Did she get my email? What did she decide?

This is a copy of the email I sent on 2/15:

Dear Kim,

My name is Kristin Noll-Marsh and I am a director for the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association. We are a non-profit, volunteer group dedicated to getting the truth out to smokers about reduced harm alternatives. We are headquartered in Alabama, but I am a Wisconsin resident.

As you already know, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease in the U.S. Of that tobacco use, over 99% of those diseases are caused by one delivery method - smoking cigarettes. While nicotine is considered addictive, the health risks from smokeless forms of nicotine use are comparable to caffeine use. Indoor smoking bans were created to encourage smokers to quit and to protect bystanders. Electronic cigarettes do not create any form of smoke - they are completely smokeless. Based on this, experts believe that smokers who cannot or will not quit would reduce their smoking-related health risks by 98% - 99% by switching to a smokeless alternative such as e-cigarettes.

While there are many pharmaceutical products on the market, their ability to assist smokers to quit is very low. Because they insist that smokers quit nicotine altogether, they have an average success rate of only 7%. These products also fail to address the behavioral aspect of smoking, which is a huge factor for many smokers. This forces 93% of smokers into a long cycle of quitting then relapsing back to smoking. Electronic cigarettes address both the nicotine dependency and the behaviors of smoking, while eliminating the greatest hazard - the smoke. Based on our surveys, smokers are finding e-cigarettes to be such a satisfying substitute, nearly 80% find they no longer have the desire to use traditional cigarettes. So, while e-cigarettes don't treat nicotine dependency, they look to be a very promising, low-risk alternative to smoking.

There are 16 different studies of electronic cigarettes - including research done by Dr. Siegel of Boston University, Dr. Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth and Dr. Laugesen of Health New Zealand and the testing done by the FDA. None of these studies have found toxic levels of any chemicals in any brand and the levels of possible cancer-causing nitrosamines have been found to be at the same low-risk level as the FDA-approved nicotine patch. (Tobacco-specific nitrosamines are found in nicotine extracted from tobacco, so they are found in ALL nicotine products, including nicotine gums, patches and lozenges.) Other than the USP grade nicotine, the other 3 ingredients in electronic cigarettes - propylene glycol, glycerin and food flavoring - are all considered safe by the FDA. The nicotine only makes up between 8% to 20% of the vapor, much of which is absorbed by the user. Propylene glycol is also considered safe for typical inhalation exposures by the EPA, as it is also in the fog machine liquid used by theaters and nightclubs. The vapor is nearly odorless and does not hang in the air nor permeate the surroundings in the same manner as cigarette smoke. Since the ingredients are considered safe, the nicotine levels are so low and the vapor dissapates so quickly, experts believe that bystanders would not be at any risk being in close proximity to someone using an e-cigarette. Frankly, claims by health groups that "we don't know" about e-cigarettes are disingenuous.

CASAA is asking employers to not only allow the indoor use of e-cigarettes, but to encourage their use. We have found that many e-cigarette users found out about the devices by seeing e-cigarette users enjoying their device in places where they cannot smoke. Many users have expressed that they had no intention of quitting smoking, but found the vapor to be so pleasurable and the health benefits so great that they soon found they were no longer using their traditional cigarettes. So, the incentive of being able to "smoke inside" will very likely result in fewer employees smoking traditional cigarettes. If you think of motivating smokers to quit with a "carrot and stick" approach, indoor use of e-cigarettes is the "carrot" and smoking outside is the "stick." Additionally, e-cigarettes eliminate the need for "smoke breaks," which promises to improve employee productivity.

There are also many better brands than those advertised on the radio or sold in mall kiosks, so smokers are encouraged to do some research before buying. Additionally, there is a bit of a learning curve, so instruction in proper use is important. We encourage you to take advantage of having an experienced user in your employ, who we are sure would be happy to pass along helpful tips. (We are also happy to report that e-cigarettes are not included in Wisconsin's indoor public use smoking ban.) More information can also be found at http://casaa.org and http://e-cigarette-forum.com.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We have the same goal as you do - to create employees who are happier, healthier ex-smokers!

Sincerely,
Kristin Noll-Marsh
Executive Director
Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association
414-xxx-xxxx
http://casaa.org
http://casaaforum.org

"Our mission is to ensure the availability of effective, affordable and reduced harm alternatives to smoking by increasing public awareness and education; to encourage the testing and development of products to achieve acceptable safety standards and reasonable regulation; and to promote the benefits of reduced harm alternatives."