Hello from France, American vapers !
As you're probably all aware, "60 Millions de Consommateurs", the magazine of France's National Consumers Institute, published a rather controversial study on e-cigs a few weeks ago, and this study was relayed by much of the international press, largely without questioning its findings.
Many leading scientists in France and elsewhere publicly criticized the methodology of the study, the choice of products tested, etc... On the web, a large number of French vapers also questioned the independence of the magazine considering it is published by a state organisation and the study was published - funnily enough - just as the "powers that be" are fighting hard to regulate the e-cig. Others criticized the over-alarming tone of the title and conclusions of the article compared to the relatively uninteresting and dubious findings of the study.
In a "damage control attempt" to avoid further denting of its reputation, the magazine has had no choice but to back-pedal a little, and it has already had to issue two consecutive "disclaimers" aimed at re-assuring both the vapers and the scientists. Unfortunately (for them), the excuses or explanations given so far have been so bad that they only served their critics (it turns out that the e-cigs were tested horizontally, causing "dry vaping" and therefore the genesis of acrolein, for example)... Moreover, as these rectifications were not accompanied by any public apologies, the damage done by the initial study to public perception of the e-cig remains unmitigated.
As I write this, many French vapers as well as the French vapers association (AIDUCE) are busy demanding public explanations from 60 Millions de Consommateurs. In case you feel you guys (and girls !) feel you also suffered somehow from that study in the US (I believe the FDA has "acknolwedged" it), it might be a good time to make the magazine aware of your displeasure with its lack of professionalism. The latest disclaimer was published yesterday at the following address, with space for comments (click on "laisser un commentaire", below, right-hand side of the grey boxed text at the bottom of the main article):
Cigarette électronique : précisions sur notre étude / Articles / Actualités - Le site du magazine 60 millions de Consommateurs
For those of you who can write French, even approximative, please don't hesitate. And for those who don't, no worries: the magazine might know little about e-cigs or vaping, but surely some of its employees will understand enough English to realize their deed has not gone unnoticed abroad...
Of course the final objective is not to p*ss the magazine off or damage its reputation, but to get them to make as much noise about its "mitigating disclaimers" as it has about its damaging original study. So please watch your language...
Thanks !
As you're probably all aware, "60 Millions de Consommateurs", the magazine of France's National Consumers Institute, published a rather controversial study on e-cigs a few weeks ago, and this study was relayed by much of the international press, largely without questioning its findings.
Many leading scientists in France and elsewhere publicly criticized the methodology of the study, the choice of products tested, etc... On the web, a large number of French vapers also questioned the independence of the magazine considering it is published by a state organisation and the study was published - funnily enough - just as the "powers that be" are fighting hard to regulate the e-cig. Others criticized the over-alarming tone of the title and conclusions of the article compared to the relatively uninteresting and dubious findings of the study.
In a "damage control attempt" to avoid further denting of its reputation, the magazine has had no choice but to back-pedal a little, and it has already had to issue two consecutive "disclaimers" aimed at re-assuring both the vapers and the scientists. Unfortunately (for them), the excuses or explanations given so far have been so bad that they only served their critics (it turns out that the e-cigs were tested horizontally, causing "dry vaping" and therefore the genesis of acrolein, for example)... Moreover, as these rectifications were not accompanied by any public apologies, the damage done by the initial study to public perception of the e-cig remains unmitigated.
As I write this, many French vapers as well as the French vapers association (AIDUCE) are busy demanding public explanations from 60 Millions de Consommateurs. In case you feel you guys (and girls !) feel you also suffered somehow from that study in the US (I believe the FDA has "acknolwedged" it), it might be a good time to make the magazine aware of your displeasure with its lack of professionalism. The latest disclaimer was published yesterday at the following address, with space for comments (click on "laisser un commentaire", below, right-hand side of the grey boxed text at the bottom of the main article):
Cigarette électronique : précisions sur notre étude / Articles / Actualités - Le site du magazine 60 millions de Consommateurs
For those of you who can write French, even approximative, please don't hesitate. And for those who don't, no worries: the magazine might know little about e-cigs or vaping, but surely some of its employees will understand enough English to realize their deed has not gone unnoticed abroad...
Of course the final objective is not to p*ss the magazine off or damage its reputation, but to get them to make as much noise about its "mitigating disclaimers" as it has about its damaging original study. So please watch your language...
Thanks !
Are people in France actually believing this article?!?!?!
