The View from Manilla: Do e-cigarettes work?

[PoliticallyIncorrect]

Manila Standard Today -- Do e-cigarettes work? -- 2010/november/18

"...some people are saying that e-cigarettes don’t really mimic the feel of smoking and, because of this, smokers would eventually go back to smoking and not quit at all."

Our fate is in the hands of PC hobbyists who don't smoke, have never smoked, don't vape--yet are sought out for their authoritative conjecture on the matter.

 

[kristin]

Bummer, no place to comment.

At least he spoke of the difference between a smoking alternative and smoking cessation (read: "nicotine cessation.") It boggles the mind that people cannot see that switching to an alternative and no longer smoking means that you HAVE quit smoking.

Of course, the usual drivel about flavors and kids.

 

[Bill Godshall]

Overall, this article is pretty good, as claims that e-cigarettes:

- work "just fine" as substitutes for cigarettes,
- don't contain 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke,
- don't harm others because they emit no smoke,

It only includes three criticisms of e-cigarettes:
- nicotine levels not always same as product claims,
- e-cigarette users might switch back to cigarettes,
- flavorings in e-cigarettes might be attractive to youth, who could then get addicted

 

[kristin]

Bill, is there any evidence to support that tobacco cigarettes always deliver the same amount of nicotine per puff or per cigarette? And did the FDA test show how MUCH higher the nicotine content was than the amount listed on labels? Were they really higher "more often than not?"

One other negative I see is that the author implies that ALL omg cartridges contained traces of nicotine. While it is bad for there to be ANY in something labeled 0mg (how the heck did it get in there - those cartridges should just be made with PG and flavor and not anywhere near the nicotine - maybe it was transferred by handlers if the amounts found was "trace?") I don't believe that ALL of the 0mg samples tested positive for nicotine?

 

[Bill Godshall]

Kristin inquired:
Bill, is there any evidence to support that tobacco cigarettes always deliver the same amount of nicotine per puff or per cigarette?

While the amount of nicotine obtained by smokers varies, the plasma nicotine levels in most smokers increases to 20-30 ng/mL within seven to ten minutes after smoking a cigarette. For comparison, within a half hour after using most Swedish Snus products and Copenhagen, plasma nicotine levels increase to about 15 ng/mL.

Kristin inquired

And did the FDA test show how MUCH higher the nicotine content was than the amount listed on labels?

I'm only aware of one cigarette company that lists the amount of nicotine on their products. Vector (formerly Liggett) did so for the Quest 1, Quest 2 and Quest 3 brands as a marketing strategy, for which Quest 1 has similar amount of nicotine as typical Light cigarettes, Quest 2 has less nicotine, and Quest 3 has almost no nicotine. While Vector did this to dupe naive smokers to try their new brands (by believing they could quit smoking or reduce health risks by using them instead of other brands), Vector found out that virtually nobody bought Quest 2 or Quest 3 (and not that many have bought Quest 1).

Also, I'm not aware that the FDA has conducted any tests on the nicotine content of different cigarettes, or any tests on nicotine plasma levels in smokers after smoking different cigarette brands.

 

[Vocalek]

Bill, is there any evidence to support that tobacco cigarettes always deliver the same amount of nicotine per puff or per cigarette? And did the FDA test show how MUCH higher the nicotine content was than the amount listed on labels? Were they really higher "more often than not?"

One other negative I see is that the author implies that ALL omg cartridges contained traces of nicotine. While it is bad for there to be ANY in something labeled 0mg (how the heck did it get in there - those cartridges should just be made with PG and flavor and not anywhere near the nicotine - maybe it was transferred by handlers if the amounts found was "trace?") I don't believe that ALL of the 0mg samples tested positive for nicotine?

According to Table 1 of the FDA's lab report (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ScienceResearch/UCM173250.pdf) the only zero nicotine cartridges were from Smoking Everywhere. Two different types of extractions were used: a 10% acetonitrile/ 1% phosphoric acid in water extraction and a methanol extraction. Using the first type of extraction, the highest concentration (0.04 mg) was found in the Tobacco and the Vanilla flavors of no-nicotine cartridge liquid. Using the second type, the highest (0.07 mg) was found in the Cherry flavor. The numbers read 0 for all of the entries for Apple flavor.

Now keep in mind that these were the quantities supposedly detected in the whole cartridge. For the vapor, the report reads, "Nicotine was detected in both products for all cartridges containing low, medium and high levels of nicotine but was not observed in cartridges identified as containing no nicotine. Screening for the possible tobacco specific impurities cotinine, nicotine-N-oxide, nornicotine, anabasine and myosmine was negative. β-Nicotyrine was detected in all Njoy cartridges but was not detected in the Smoking Everywhere cartridges. The sparging apparatus was used to quantify the amount of nicotine released during use of these electronic cigarettes (Table 2)."

 

[kristin]

One has to wonder if the nicotine detected came from contamination of their testing equipment.

According to Table 1 of the FDA's lab report (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ScienceResearch/UCM173250.pdf) the only zero nicotine cartridges were from Smoking Everywhere. Two different types of extractions were used: a 10% acetonitrile/ 1% phosphoric acid in water extraction and a methanol extraction. Using the first type of extraction, the highest concentration (0.04 mg) was found in the Tobacco and the Vanilla flavors of no-nicotine cartridge liquid. Using the second type, the highest (0.07 mg) was found in the Cherry flavor. The numbers read 0 for all of the entries for Apple flavor.

Now keep in mind that these were the quantities supposedly detected in the whole cartridge. For the vapor, the report reads, "Nicotine was detected in both products for all cartridges containing low, medium and high levels of nicotine but was not observed in cartridges identified as containing no nicotine. Screening for the possible tobacco specific impurities cotinine, nicotine-N-oxide, nornicotine, anabasine and myosmine was negative. β-Nicotyrine was detected in all Njoy cartridges but was not detected in the Smoking Everywhere cartridges. The sparging apparatus was used to quantify the amount of nicotine released during use of these electronic cigarettes (Table 2)."

 

[Vocalek]

To provide some perspective. Researcher Dorothy Hatsukami tested "nicotine free" cigarettes against lozenges. Nicotine-free cigarettes have 0.05 milligrams of nicotine per cigarette. Assuming that a smoker would use 10 to 20 cigarettes per day, that's a total of 0.5 to 1.0 mg of nicotine per day.

I doubt whether a zero-nic ecigarette user would consume more than one ml of fluid per day, but let's say to be generous they use up 3 cartrdiges. If they were using Tobacco or Vanilla flavor, they would take in a total of 0.12 mg of nicotine. They might take in as much as 0.21 mg using Cherry flavor.

The nicotine-free tobacco cigarettes deliver more nicotine per day. Once again, the FDA lies by leaving out information about comparative products.

And being good little propagandists, they put the focus on what they found in the liquid, which is not germane to the question of safety. What's important is what's in the vapor (because users do not drink the liquid). FDA found zero nicotine in the vapor from zero-nicotine cartridges. I wouldn't be surprised if the "nicotine free" tobacco cigarettes also deliver zero nicotine in the smoke.

 

[kristin]

That's very true, Elaine, but really, nic-free e-liquid should have NO nicotine? I imagine it's harder to remove nicotine from tobacco for no-nic cigarettes. Nic-free e-liquid is simply PG and flavoring. There is no naturally occurring nicotine in those ingredients and simply no excuse for nicotine to be there - even if it's not in the vapor. That points to either low (or under-handed) production standards or messy testing procedures.

 

[Vocalek]

Might the chemical they use to achieve tobacco flavor have a trace of nicotine in it? Nicotine also occurs naturally in other plants, some of which might have been used to create a food flavoring.

Regardless of where it comes from, the take-home message is that the amount in an e-cigarette cartridge is so miniscule that it could not possibly create addiction in never-user of tobacco, even if every single microgram made it into the vapor (which it does not).

Dr. Laugesen did detect a tiny amount of nicotine in the Ruyan 0 nicotine cartridges--slightly more than the quantity detected by the FDA. Dr. Laugesen did not see this fact as any reason for alarm. http://www.healthnz.co.nz/2ndSafetyReport_9Apr08.pdf

 

[Exylos]

A trace amount of Nicotine could literally come from any part of the production process.

All that it COuld take, Now I stress that word because i don't know where it did come from I wasn't there. If the containers that the 0 Nic is stored in happens to be in the same area as the machine that does the mixing of the high nicotine solution, and a bit of that was simply in the air a trace amount could find its way into the bottles and then into the liquid.

Now I said could, because under no means am I saying that IS what happened, but it could have. But Vocalek is correct the amounts in the liquid were not enough to be worried about, infact you get 200 times more than that standing in a room where an actual smoker has smoked an hour before. I have a test here somewhere that shows the actual amounts not sure where so bare with me on that one and if they are not in the actual vapor, then to tell you the truth no one would even think about it accept in the testing they have to list it.