NY Senator- replies to my email

[proax9]

Thought some may be interested in a reply I received from my NY State (6th district) senator in Albany.
It is frustrating that the 'FDA TEST' that "found" carcinogens is used over and over. I am not as up to date on the legal issues as I should be- but aren't there tests that show no carcinogens??
The flavor argument is another scare tactic used so people view this as a threat to children.

I was surprised to see the comment from BOCES (an educational organization in NY / Long Island). But then again, who knows what is true and what is fabricated to make a point.

Frustrating, very frustrating

 

[wv2win]

Let's hope you pointed out that the tests results from the FDA showed only "trace" (less than 1%) amounts of carcenogentic substances in only 2 of the cartridges tested and that it is the same amount found in nicotine gum and patches so the "warning" from the FDA is just BS.

I would suggest going to the CASAA site (click on the banner in my signature) to get all the information you will need to counter bad information about vaping.

Good for you for taking the time to write your senator.

 

[Sophey]

How about sending a copy of this letter to Rush Limbaugh? Perhaps he could rant about it on his program.

(Just an idea -- from someone who isn't even a Rush fan.)

Bad idea? Good idea?

 

[Anima]

How about sending a copy of this letter to Rush Limbaugh? Perhaps he could rant about it on his program.

(Just an idea -- from someone who isn't even a Rush fan.)

Bad idea? Good idea?

There is actually a video on YouTube of a Rush Limbaugh rant on the topic (he apparently vapes). No matter what I think of him, he does have a large following and is therefore a good ally.

 

[OrthodoxAtheist]

Indeed Rush Limbaugh was vaping in 2010, as I came across said video when I was researching. I felt bad that Rush had found something good before me (I'm just 5 weeks in). I'm closer to anti-Rush than pro-Rush but I agree he has a big audience who should hear about the FDA doing BT's bidding.

Until recently I didn't know about the FDA being basically a fake administration (I'm a Brit import) for whoever will pay them (be it pharmacorp or BT) until I ran into issues of pharmaceuticals previously marked as safe then being pulled when proved unsafe, certain synthesized sugars having been approved now showing signs of harm, and their stance of PV's being the latest blatant pay-off for them. The situation seems tailor made for Rush.

EDIT: Lots of Rush Limbaugh videos on the subject -
‪rush limbaugh e-cigarette‬‏ - YouTube

 

[wv2win]

..... I'm closer to anti-Rush than pro-Rush but I agree he has a big audience who should hear about the FDA doing BT's bidding......

It's not BT (big tobacco) that is against vaping. It is BP (big pharm) that is spending millions trying to have vaping banned.

 

[JW50]

Thought some may be interested in a reply I received from my NY State (6th district) senator in Albany.
It is frustrating that the 'FDA TEST' that "found" carcinogens is used over and over. I am not as up to date on the legal issues as I should be- but aren't there tests that show no carcinogens??
The flavor argument is another scare tactic used so people view this as a threat to children.

I was surprised to see the comment from BOCES (an educational organization in NY / Long Island). But then again, who knows what is true and what is fabricated to make a point.

Frustrating, very frustrating

I am so glad you got such a clear answer for your Senator. I don't think mine would have been so open.

 

[proax9]

**Update**
I just received this response from my Assemblyman in the NY state government:

August 9, 2011

This is in response to your letter regarding Assembly Bill A1468. This bill seeks to ban the sale and distribution of items containing or delivering nicotine that are not currently classified as tobacco products or approved as tobacco use cessation or harm reduction products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and also to prevent minors from purchasing these products. Thank you for taking the time to write and advise me of your views and concerns.

I do not support this bill in its current form. I voted against it in Health Committee and unless amendments are made to it, I will be voting against it should it come to the floor of the Assembly for a full vote.

 

[thejohnnymac]

I enjoyed the notes about the flavors.. If he thinks the flavors and names are bad for Vaping he should really investigate the vodka on the shelf at his local liquor store.. There is cherry, apple, strawberry, grape, and every other flavor you could imagine. Here a few more unique flavors..

Dude - same green as Mt Dew
Cream - vodka infused whipped cream.. dispenses under pressure like regular whipped cream
RangTang - orange. that name reminds me of something I drank as a kid..

Those are just the tip of the iceberg..

 

[perlionsmitnick]

did you slip a few thousand in his letter. I bet big pharma did.

 

[Vocalek]

Quick lesson regarding the FDA testing.

The FDA never bothered to mention the quantity of "carcinogens" (Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines) they found in e-cigarette cartridges. But "less than 1%" vastly overestimates the largest amount ever quantified. We know from testing performed by Health New Zealand that a High Strength (16 mg nicotine) Ruyan brand cartridge contains 8 nanograms of TSNAs -- about the same amount as in a medicinal nicotine patch (think Nicoderm). How big is that quantity?

Well, at most a cart contains 1 gram of liquid, and there are one billion nanograms in a gram. So 0.000000008 is a lot less than 1%.

Now the FDA testing did find 1% of Diethylene Glycol (DEG), which sometimes occurs as a contaminant in Propylene Glycol. DEG has many uses, one of which is a tobacco humectant (keeps the tobacco moist). The FDA decided to refer to that as "antifreeze" in their press release because "antifreeze" sounds a lot more frightening than "humectant."

Nevertheless, 0.01 grams of DEG is such a small quantity that an average weight adult would need to drink over 8 gallons of e-liquid containing 1% DEG (in a single day) to reach the fatal toxic dose of DEG. He, of course, would never get that far if the liquid contained nicotine, because nicotine taken orally triggers vomiting. This self-correcting feature of nicotine poisoning exposure explains why oral nicotine poisoning fatalities are ultra-rare.

The CASAA web site contains a lot of factual information that you can use in your correspondence with legislators.

Start here: CASAA.org

In addition, each of the Call to Action pages for a locality contains "talking points" or a link to the letter that was sent by CASAA. Here is the CTA page for the New York State bills. CASAA.org

Addendum: I notice that the legislators are operating from a lot of outdated information. Here is a collection of the research to date on e-cigarette safety and effectiveness: http://www.casaa.org/files/Electronic-Cigarette-Research.pdf

 

[dasnk]

I didn't know that adults were not supposed to like Strawberry or Banana flavored things.

I now wonder what would happen if you got busted with some of those flavored condoms they sell.