The report on the death of a man in Gateshead appears to hold a lot of bias considering it is nothing more than conjecture and innuendo. In my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, the liquids used in electronic cigarettes do not contain paraffin or other volatile oils which are normally associated with lipoid pneumonia, and as such, the implied link appears to be little more than a desperate bid for a scape-goat. To tout that "This may be the first medical evidence in the world highlighting the potential dangers of e-cigarettes" without offering any medical proof seems to boarder on hysteria. Surely the substance in the deceased's lungs was identified and could have therefore been named as the cause. This glaring lack of supporting evidence coupled with a few implications from a quit smoking lobbyist who happens to be a doctor is far from proof. For the record, I did five months research on all things related to the e-cig industry before deciding to purchase one e-cig to try and to my surprise I quit my 40+ cigarettes per day habit the instant it arrived. I had no intention to quit smoking at that time but had tried every other method of quitting on the market to no avail and was therefore curious. My doctors are very impressed with the marked improvement in my lungs and my general health and are carefully monitoring the situation, and I am very thankful that they gave me the green light to try e-cigs. Unfortunately when it comes to quitting smoking its not a case of one-method-fits-all but as a die hard smoker this has worked for me and thousands like me. It would be a huge disservice to the community at large to allow hysteria to deny others like myself the opportunity to change their lives all because the tobbacco/pharma industries are trying to protect their bottom line. We as a society trust our news services to give a fair and unbiased account of all events and news worthy stories and sadly I feel that that your editorial in this case has betrayed that trust.
got my reply and it didn't seem to address the concerns raised in my letter at all..... gggrrrrrrr
Thanks for contacting us regarding the BBC Regional News programme Look North broadcast on 28 March.
We understand you felt that the report into the death of a man in Gateshead unfairly blamed the use of e-cigarettes without proper evidence.
On 28 March 2011 BBC Look North reported on this story based on an inquest into the death of Mr Terry Miller from Gateshead. At this inquest a doctor, Dr Rob Allcock from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, voiced concern that the lung disease severe lipoid pneumonia could be associated with electronic cigarettes Look North reported his evidence and his call for more regulation under drug laws, with the programmes Editor adding that: In an interview after the inquest Dr Allcock told us: It emerged that he'd been using electronic cigarettes for 8 months
using large quantities of the substance inhaled into the lungs. The device he was using seemed to involve a mixture of nicotine and oil. There is extensive medical literature on the damage caused to the lungs by inhaling oil which looks very similar to his disease.
He also added that we also included a lengthy statement from the electronic cigarette industry trade association in our report, with our reporter stating at the end of her live report that:
"They insist that all electronic cigarettes are safer than ordinary cigarettes. They say 100% of users are former smokers and that any damage to the lungs is going to be caused by cigarette smoke. They also argue that e-cigarettes have been tested in various studies around the world and that they are regulated because they fall under the UK's general product safety regulations.
In our reporter's script the two points of view were again balanced as it referred to how: "Many international bodies have raised concerns about the safety of these new types of cigarette substitute - which, battery operated - and flavoured deliver a nicotine hit - with a fine vapour mist.
Their supporters argue e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to the real thing. Claiming users can inhale nicotine - without inhaling tar, tobacco or carbon monoxide. And of course - there is no smoke."
In closing BBC Look North stated: We believe the report was an accurate, balanced and contemporaneous report of an inquest and that the subsequent interviews were balanced with comments from the electronic cigarette industry.
We would like to assure you that weve registered your comments on our audience log. This is the internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily for all programme makers and commissioning executives within the BBC, and also their senior management. It ensures that your points, and all other comments we receive, are made available across the BBC.
Thank you again for your concern.
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BBC Audience Services
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