NY Article Needs Retraction

[LaceyUnderall]

If others could weigh in on this one... I noticed this in another article somewhere else and should have bookmarked it... We need to find the actual source of this misleading and completely unfactual statement.

From: NY county moves to block e-cigarette sales : Health : Community : WSTM NBC3

"But a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration test of 19 e-cigarette brands found more than half contained a cancer-causing substance."

My response in the comments which has not been posted as of yet:

From the FDA website: "FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation, Office of Compliance purchased two samples of electronic cigarettes and components from two leading brands. These samples included 18 of the various flavored, nicotine, and no-nicotine cartridges offered for use with these products. These cartridges were obtained in order to test some of the ingredients contained in them and inhaled by users of electronic cigarettes."

19 brands were NOT tested. 2 brands were tested. This is incorrect information you have noted in your article.

Edit: Found it! http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/economy/ap/53690647.html

 

[Scaralouche]

ever play the game "operator" when you were in kindergarten? everyone sits in a single file line or a circle. one person whispers a phrase, and then that person whispers it to the next, and so on until you get back to the originator of the phrase. the originator then says what he/she originally said. its pretty funny how distorted it gets, the more people in the chain.

the media is just a big game of "operator".

 

[LaceyUnderall]

No doubt. Found the originator to be from AP!

Here is what I just sent to the Associated Press:

To whom it may concern:

In the recent AP article "Oregon attorney general, New York county move to block electronic cigarette sales" by William McCall, the statement "But a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration test of 19 e-cigarette brands found more than half contained a cancer-causing substance" is false.

From the FDA website: "FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation, Office of Compliance purchased two samples of electronic cigarettes and components from two leading brands. These samples included 18 of the various flavored, nicotine, and no-nicotine cartridges offered for use with these products. These cartridges were obtained in order to test some of the ingredients contained in them and inhaled by users of electronic cigarettes."

19 brands were not tested. 2 brands were tested. This is incorrect information you have noted in your article and it needs to be retracted as it is incorrect.

 

[KarateLobster]

The article in the link belongs to a paper in Washington DC. But it's sourced from the AP. However -

You are using incorrect and misleading information in your article. Specifically where you state "But a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration test of 19 e-cigarette brands found more than half contained a cancer-causing substance." If you checked the FDA website you would see that, in fact, only TWO brands were tested "FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation, Office of Compliance purchased two samples of electronic cigarettes and components from two leading brands. These samples included 18 of the various flavored, nicotine, and no-nicotine cartridges offered for use with these products."

In the interests of fair and factual journalism please correct the mistake.

Was my comment.

EDIT- Damn Lacey, you beat me to it. I was just at the AP site looking for the original article!!

 

[LaceyUnderall]

Nice... Maybe if this gets enough attention, they will retract it. It is bad information and it has the ability to spread like wildfire as it came from AP!

I couldn't find the original article on AP... don't know why... so I emailed info@ap.org. We will see if anything happens... but if others want to do the same, we can try and change the misleading info at it's source.

Just to clarify, I did go to the OR AG's webpage and could not find anything relating to this misinformation so I *think* it is AP who misquoted the facts and not the AG. I will keep looking though because if the AG thinks that this many brands were tested, then that needs to be corrected.

Thinking 18 samples from 2 brands is way different than 19 brands tested.

 

[stevo_tdo]

Very different indeed

 

[eplanet]

This is how the media works...They leak out miss-information, the public believes what they are told and then there is a public out cry...It is all disgusting and I have seen it first hand in Suffolk...

 

[Territoo]

Sent the following email to AP.

Concerning the article:

Oregon attorney general, New York county move to block electronic cigarette sales

By: WILLIAM McCALL
Associated Press
08/19/09 10:40 AM EDT

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/economy/ap/53690647.html

I'd like to point out some problems with this article. First of all, it states that 19 different brands of ecigarette cartridges were tested. This is not true, rather 19 cartridges from two vendors, Smoking Everywhere and njoy, were used. Secondly, it mentions that more than half contained a cancer causing substance, but does not mention what this substance is. I am going to assume it is referring to the tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA).

Here are the links to the FDA's report and an independent lab's analysis of this report.

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ScienceResearch/UCM173250.pdf

http://www.njoythefreedom.com/contactcommerce/images/press_releases/Response%20to%20the%20FDA%20Summary.pdf

Given that the nicotine and the tobacco flavoring are derived from tobacco, it is not unexpected to frind TSNA in them. However, this article fails to point out that the levels are much lower than found in cigarette smoke and are more along the lines found in FDA approved nicotne replacement products: inhalers, gums, patches, or lozenges. Furthermore, TSNA can be found in other products including foods.

One of the 19 cartridges found approximately 1% of diethelyne glycol (DEG). Assuming this is not a laboratory artifact, since the test has yet to be reproduced, it must be mentioned that DEG is acceptable in food and other consumables at a level of up to 2%.

The independent lab report points out many other flaws with the FDA report.

I am glad to see reporting on this topic of ecigarette use and safety, but such journalism must be accurate and unbiased. This article is not.

 

[LaceyUnderall]

Territoo -

Thank you for responding. Great letter.

I would just like to note though that they tested 18 samples. This 19 sample thing was started just like the 19 brand thing, in a misprint in an article somewhere. We didn't catch that, but that is minor compared to this...

But just FYI.

 

[zazz]

wow are there really even 19 brands of ecigs or liquid? dont they all come from 2 or 3 manufacturers?

 

[Satyr]

ever play the game "operator" when you were in kindergarten? everyone sits in a single file line or a circle. one person whispers a phrase, and then that person whispers it to the next, and so on until you get back to the originator of the phrase. the originator then says what he/she originally said. its pretty funny how distorted it gets, the more people in the chain.

the media is just a big game of "operator".

Yeah, I remember that game. I was a little sh!thead and changed the phrase to something completely different. I would change something like, "The yellow cat was fat", to something like "Look directly at the sun".

 

[Scaralouche]

you missed your calling. you should have gone to work at the NY Times or LA Times, MSNBC, NPR...i could go on.

 

[LaceyUnderall]

you missed your calling. you should have gone to work at the NY Times or LA Times, MSNBC, NPR...i could go on.

you beat me to the punch!

 

[killdozerd11]

Nice... Maybe if this gets enough attention, they will retract it. It is bad information and it has the ability to spread like wildfire as it came from AP!

I couldn't find the original article on AP... don't know why... so I emailed info@ap.org. We will see if anything happens... but if others want to do the same, we can try and change the misleading info at it's source.

Just to clarify, I did go to the OR AG's webpage and could not find anything relating to this misinformation so I *think* it is AP who misquoted the facts and not the AG. I will keep looking though because if the AG thinks that this many brands were tested, then that needs to be corrected.

Thinking 18 samples from 2 brands is way different than 19 brands tested.

If and i mean if the retract the story the will bury it were nobody will see it

The truth is not relevant only what there political leanings are.
Or the facts according who pays them

 

[LaceyUnderall]

If and i mean if the retract the story the will bury it were nobody will see it

The truth is not relevant only what there political leanings are.
Or the facts according who pays them

It is sad that you are totally correct.

But we at least have to try right?

 

[killdozerd11]

It is sad that you are totally correct.

But we at least have to try right?

I would not tell you not to try please do i hope you success

But things like this never change
I have been a gun rights advocate for years and the lies and half truths
are not new

Me a cynic .. never

The government telling lies to the press and them reporting them exactly
as told is the way that the press gets away with spreading it
And being able to tell you the only reported what they assumed was the truth

Don't ever tell the press the got it wrong it only makes them resentful
that someone would correct them...how dare you

 

[LaceyUnderall]

I would not tell you not to try please do i hope you success

But things like this never change
I have been a gun rights advocate for years and the lies and half truths
are not new

Me a cynic .. never

The government telling lies to the press and them reporting them exactly
as told is the way that the press gets away with spreading it
And being able to tell you the only reported what they assumed was the truth

Don't ever tell the press the got it wrong it only makes them resentful
that someone would correct them...how dare you

again... more truth. Damn.

 

[Scaralouche]

and they wonder why readership is down, and now they have no money to keep going...

 

[lotus14]

As a government agency responsible for protecting the public health, the FDA stinks. Their continued releases of mis-information regarding the e-cig is reprehensible.

The main stream media in this country is only interested in ratings. It's been reduced to infotainment. It's only an worthy news piece if it's OMG these things will kill you!They are not government watch dogs, they are lapdogs.

On the other hand, if the manufacturers of e-cigs had done their job and had independent, reproducible, scientific studies done like they should have long ago, we might not be having this conversation. At the least we would have solid scientific evidence in hand to fight with.

These studies will still have to be done. The question is how long it will take them, and what will happen to vaping in the meantime.

 

[Territoo]

Probably won't affect anything, but at least I said my piece.

Territoo -

Thank you for responding. Great letter.

I would just like to note though that they tested 18 samples. This 19 sample thing was started just like the 19 brand thing, in a misprint in an article somewhere. We didn't catch that, but that is minor compared to this...

But just FYI.