Dear Mr. Governor,
The reason I am writing to you this evening is to voice my opinion on the recent press release made by the RI Department of Health lauding the FDAs recent actions on the electronic cigarette. One particular point that was disturbing is their thanking the FDA on this "public health threat".
In their press release, they state, and I quote:
"We are pleased that the FDA has taken these steps to combat a public health threat. "
A public health threat? Is the RI Department of Health really that daft? Do they not understand that real cigarette smoking is more of a public health threat than the electronic ones? Or are they just "following the money" like most other states are doing?
But seeing that your office has received a lot of misinformation regarding the electronic cigarette, I want to point out to you the real facts on these devices. In this email, we spell out the myths and the cold hard facts. I hope you read these facts and make your own decision.
Myth #1 - Electronic cigarettes are a threat to children/teens.
FALSE.
Where it comes from:
Legislators and anti-smoking groups assume that children will be drawn to the electronic gadgets, the fruit/candy flavors and ease of access on the internet & mall kiosks.
Why its a wrong:
First, they arent easy to purchase on the internet. A credit card or bank account is required. So, unless the child steals a parents credit card and then hides the card statement later on, the risk of being discovered is high. The majority of kiosk vendors have already implemented a policy of forbidding sales to minors. The opportunity for minors to purchase electronic cigarettes at those kiosks is no better than purchasing tobacco cigarettes at a gas station - probably less.
Second, the least expensive electronic cigarette starter kits run between $35 - $50 (plus shipping) online and $90 - $150 at mall kiosks. This price point is considerable for the average adult, let alone a child. Children would be more likely to spend that money on music, clothes or video games than an electronic cigarette - especially when they can easily get a $7 pack of cigarettes at the corner store or from friends. Electronic cigarettes also require the additional purchases of accessories and replacement parts. A single battery costs over $10. Heating elements, which require frequent replacement, cost over $8 each.
Third, anecdotal accounts indicate that children/teens view electronic cigarettes as a way for adults to quit smoking. They lack the danger factor, which reduces appeal. Additionally, an informal poll of nearly 1,000 electronic cigarette owners shows that the average consumer is overwhelmingly over 26 years old1 and a smoker, indicating that even young adults do not find them particularly appealing.
Myth #2 - Sweet flavors and flashy packaging are intended to specifically attract young people.
FALSE.
Where it comes from:
The assumption by critics that the slick advertisements and fruity flavors only appeal to children and their lack of knowledge of the target consumer and the intended purpose of the product.
Why its wrong:
These products are not intended to be a treatment for nicotine addiction. They are intended to be a way for current smokers to smoke without the dangerous toxins and carcinogens. Retailers need to differentiate themselves from stop-smoking aids, to convince long-time smokers that the electronic cigarette is just as appealing as the tobacco cigarette they currently use.
Just as with marketing cars, televisions, cell phones, alcohol and other adult products, advertisers attempt to make the devices appeal to adults with a coolness factor. Studies show that smokers are more likely than the general population to be risk-taking, extroverted, defiant, and impulsive"7 - very similar to teen demographics - so the misconception is understandable, but misguided. Often overlooked in these ads are the claims about the ability to smoke anywhere and have a safer/healthier option to smoking - a clear indication that they are targeting current smokers and smokers concerned about their health and not new/young smokers.
Regarding sweet flavors, the tobacco-flavored liquid does not have a pleasant taste for many smokers, as it is difficult to replicate the tobacco smoke taste. Adults, who make up the majority of electronic cigarette consumers, specifically requested alternative flavors that would work well with the liquid base - which were mostly sweeter fruit and candy flavors. Nearly 50% of adult electronic cigarette owners polled 1(over the age of 26) report that they primarily use these non-tobacco flavors and attribute them with the ability to keep them from returning to tobacco cigarettes. They also testify that the sweeter flavors make tobacco cigarettes taste particularly foul and further reduce their chances of returning to smoking cigarettes.
Myth #3 - Electronic Cigarettes all contain anti-freeze.
FALSE.
Where it comes from:
In 2009, the FDA released a press statement claiming that they tested electronic cigarettes and found diethylene glycol, an ingredient in anti freeze.2
Why its wrong:
Independent labs extensively tested other electronic cigarettes and found no evidence of diethylene glycol, the toxic component of anti-freeze claimed to have been found in the brands the FDA tested.
To further the confusion, electronic cigarette liquid is made of propylene glycol, an ingredient recognized as safe for human consumption by the FDA. While propylene glycol is sometimes used in anti-freeze, it is an additive intended to make it LESS harmful if accidentally swallowed.
The FDA tested just 18 cartridges, from only two companies. Out of those 18, just one tested positive for about 1% diethylene glycol. 4Because so many other tests failed to find diethylene glycol, some experts conclude that the single sample may have been contaminated in some other way. By no means is it considered a standard ingredient in electronic cigarettes.
If electronic cigarettes did contain anti-freeze, there would be news reports about the thousands of electronic cigarette owners suffering from diethylene glycol poisoning and that is not the case. To date, after five years on the market worldwide, there have been no such reports.
Myth #4 - Electronic cigarettes are just as deadly and carcinogenic as tobacco cigarettes.
FALSE.
Where it comes from:
The FDA stated they found trace amounts of carcinogens in the nicotine cartridges and the media and health organizations used that statement to claim that electronic cigarettes are just as dangerous as tobacco cigarettes.2
Why its wrong:
The FDA found trace amounts of tobacco-specific nitrosamines in the samples they tested, which can cause cancer under certain conditions and in sufficient amounts.4 The FDA allows certain levels of nitrosamines in consumable products. For example, tests show that other nicotine products, such as nicotine gum and nicotine patches, also contain the same tobacco-specific nitrosamines. The FDA did not release any information on the levels they found, however, the scientific definition of trace amount means amounts that are detectable, but too small to even accurately measure.
An independent study by Dr. Murray Laugesen showed that, on average, the electronic cigarette contained 8.18ng nitrosamines per 1g of liquid. 8 ng in 1g = eight parts per trillion, an extremely tiny amount. By
comparision, nicotine gum tested at 2ng, the nicotine patch tested at 8ng and Marlborough cigarettes tested at a staggering 11,190ng. That translates that electronic cigarettes contain 1,200 times LESS of these cancer-causing nitrosamines than tobacco cigarettes and about the same as the FDA-approved nicotine patch.3
Myth #5 - Electronic cigarettes may be more addictive than regular cigarettes.
FALSE.
Where it comes from:
The infamous FDA testing showed that the levels of nicotine found in the cartridges varied from the advertised amount. Also, traces of nicotine were found in cartridges labeled as no nicotine. Critics claim that means electronic cigarette users may be inhaling too much nicotine and causing them to be even more addicted.
Why its wrong:
Two independent tests, the one by Dr. Laugesen and one by Dr. Thomas Eissenberg at Virginia Commonwealth University5, showed that electronic cigarette vapor does not deliver nicotine as efficiently as tobacco smoke and actually delivers nicotine in lower amounts than tobacco smoke.
Additionally, smokers tend to self-regulate their intake, as seen by how many cigarettes as smoker uses in a day. When the need for nicotine is met, the smoker - or in this case, the electronic cigarette user - no longer has a craving and ceases consumption. The fundamental behavior of nicotine addiction just doesnt support the claims of increasing the addiction in that manner.
Myth #6 - Second-hand vapor is a threat to bystanders.
FALSE.
Where it comes from:
Anti-smoking groups claim the toxins and carcinogens in electronic cigarettes (as well as addictive nicotine) can be accidentally inhaled by bystanders, just like second-hand tobacco smoke.
Why its wrong:
As shown previously, electronic cigarettes already contain a tiny, barely detectable fraction of the carcinogens found in tobacco cigarettes. They also have been shown not to contain any of the toxins in the amounts found in tobacco cigarettes and that they deliver very little nicotine in the vapor. So, given that the vapor already proves little, if any, danger to the actual user, any danger to bystanders by the exhaled vapor would be negligible.
Additionally, tobacco cigarettes create side stream smoke, which is the smoke that comes directly from the end of a lit cigarette and the smoke lingers in the air and travels a fair distance from the smoker.
Electronic cigarette vapor does not behave in the same manner as tobacco smoke. There is no vapor produced from the device, until the user activates it by inhaling, so there is no side stream vapor is created and the
vapor dissipates very quickly. In the event that a bystander would pass through the vapor, since it doesnt contain the irritating toxins of tobacco smoke, it would likely be barely detectable beyond the faint scent of the flavor and only for a fleeting moment.
Myth #7 - Electronic cigarettes are a gateway to tobacco smoking.
FALSE.
Where is comes from:
Critics theorize that more non-smokers will be willing to try electronic cigarettes, due to their attractive flavors and attractive styling.
Why its wrong:
People start smoking for different reasons. Studies show that children and young adults are more influenced by their peers, parents and stress levels than advertizing or flavors.6 The most popular tobacco flavors among youth are Camel, Marlborough and Newport - fruit and candy flavors only made up 2% of sales when they were legal - and rarely do people cite the flavor as a reason they started smoking.
Considering that the electronic cigarette is perceived as a health concession for adults, the high start-up costs and the easy accessibility of tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes are unlikely to appeal to new smokers in significant numbers.
Additionally, given the fact that current users claim that electronic cigarettes make tobacco smoke taste considerably foul, in the unlikely event that a new smoker chooses electronic cigarettes over tobacco cigarettes, the chance they will find tobacco smoking appealing is even less.
Taking into account that electronic cigarettes have been shown to be both less toxic and less carcinogenic than tobacco cigarettes, if new smokers actually do choose electronic cigarettes over tobacco cigarettes, it would actually benefit their health and safety and that of those around them.
These are the facts Mr. Governor. I was a 3 pack a day smoker for 30 years. And these devices are saving my life. Peoples lives are at stake here. The public health threat is not from the electronic cigarette. It is from the real ones that over 500,000 a year die from in the US alone, and is the only officially sanctioned method of killing oneself.
In the past 5 years electronic cigarettes have been on the market, not one single death has been attributed to them. Yet, in this same time period, 2.5 million died from smoking related diseases.
So, which is the bigger health threat?
Thank you for your time Mr. Governor.
I am,
James S. Williams
