- Dr. David Baron, Chief of Staff at UCLA Medical Center, recently appeared in a video about the electronic cigarette, Smoke-Stik. Here's what he has to say about their use in public places: "If there is a location where tobacco smoking is banned or illegal, I don't see how the use of an electronic cigarette like Smoke-Stik would qualify for that restriction. It's not tobacco, and therefore, exposure to the vapor that's released when someone either puffs on or exhales a "Smoke-Stik" can't harm another individual. It can't create any of the illnesses or problems that are caused by tobacco smoke. Now, I can't tell you whether or not someone might be irritated by it, or take offense by it, or consider it, in their opinion, to be consistent with a smoking ban, but we're going to have to develop a new language for this because prior to the existence of electronic cigarettes, there was no such thing as non-tobacco "smoke." It's unfortunate that in order for people to understand what we're talking about, we have to refer to it as "smoke," but what we're really saying is it's an alternative way of smoking, not*that it releases smoke. Because really, what smoke is, is the tarry residue and the multiple chemicals that are released from the burning of an organic material. When you burn anything that is a solid substance, smoke is released. Nothing is being burned in the Smoke-Stik. All that's happening is you're heating up a liquid to the point of becoming a vapor. So referring to it as smoke doesn't make sense at all. Therefore,*considering it subject to a smoking ban doesn't really make sense, either. If you're banning the act of putting something in your mouth and puffing, then I suppose you're banning this, but if what you're banning is the production of smoke, and smoke is the way I just defined it, then there's no reason that this should be subject to that kind of restriction." (transcribed from YouTube video)
- From Dr. Michael Siegel, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, who also has 20 years of experience in Tobacco Control: "There is no existing evidence that e-cigarettes pose a risk for nonsmokers.*The nicotine exposure from the exhaled vapor produced is likely to be extremely small and there is no reason to think that it poses a danger for nonsmokers. But there is certainly no evidence to suggest that it poses a hazard." (
http://www.tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/)
- From Dr. Carl Phillips, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta School of Public Health: "The claim that the trivial amount of vapor would be much of a risk seems ridiculously far-fetched." from the interview with ecigarettedirect:
http://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/carl
- From Dr. Brad Rodu, Professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville:*"Claiming that e-cigarettes are dangerous for non-smokers is about as credible as claiming that air travel is dangerous for people who never set foot in an airplane." (
http://rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com/)
