An electronic cigarette or e-cigarette is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by heating a nicotine-propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin solution into a vapor. It is an alternative to smoked
tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. In addition to nicotine delivery, this vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled
tobacco smoke, while no tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved in its operation.
Recently, the FDA conducted an analysis of samples from two companies producing these devices,
njoy and Smoking Everywhere. The FDA's press release regarding their findings implied that electronic cigarettes were unsafe and contained known carcinogens and tobacco-specific nitrosamines. This release contained no other significant information from this analysis, not the percentages of toxins found in these products, how these percentages compare to traditional cigarettes, or even how they compare to FDA-approved nicotine replacement products.
Scientists at Exponent, a consultant laboratory, found the following regarding this study:
* The FDA failed to present standard protocols for proper study design with regards to the testing of the referenced control devices.
* The chemical content of similar nicotine-containing, FDA-approved products was not completely described with respect to the presence of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) and other tobacco-associated impurities that have also been found in nicotine replacement therapy devices at similar, if not higher, levels.
* In the lots tested by the FDA, none of the chemicals of concern in the study were able to be quantifiably measured in the liquid of the devices cartridges.
* Data presented in the report does not adequately support the opinion that users of the products would actually be exposed to TSNAs and tobacco-specific impurities in the vapor phase during normal use and if exposed, that those levels would be a health concern as compared to other FDA-approved products.
Many health care professionals back these devices, stating e-cigarettes appear to be hundreds of times, if not thousands of times safer than traditional tobacco cigarettes. Just a couple of these include Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, President of the American Council on Science and Health; Michael Siegel, a Physician, Researcher and Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health; Joel Niztkin, MD, MPH, DPA, FACPM, Chair, Tobacco Control Task Force, American Association of Public Health Physicians.
If the FDA succeeds in their push to ban Electronic Cigarettes, thousands of former smokers will be forced to choose, quit or return to traditional cigarettes. According to the American Lung Association, 20.6 percent of our adult population smokes, and per the American Council on Science and Health, only half of those are able to successfully quit smoking.
Please support further research regarding these devices, as well as reasonable and responsible measures for the regulation, sale and use of electronic cigarettes.
