WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control : Conference 12-17 Nov. 2012, Seoul, Korea

[Vocalek]

This is a most maddening document:

http://apps.who.int/gb/fctc/PDF/cop5/FCTC_COP5_13-en.pdf

Electronic nicotine delivery systems,
including electronic cigarettes

Report by the Convention Secretariat

INTRODUCTION
1. This document was prepared in response to the request made by the Conference of the Parties (COP) at its fourth session (Punta del Este, Uruguay, 15–20 November 2010) to the Convention Secretariat to prepare jointly with WHO’s tobacco Free Initiative a comprehensive report based on the experience of Parties on the matter of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) including electronic cigarettes for consideration at the fifth session of the COP.1

2. ENDS are designed to deliver nicotine to the respiratory system. The term encompasses products that contain tobacco-derived substances, but in which tobacco is not necessary for operation.2 They are battery-powered devices that provide inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized propylene glycol/nicotine mixture. ENDS are marketed under a variety of brand names and descriptors, of which the terms “electronic cigarettes” or “e-cigs” are the most common.

__________________________
1 See decision FCTC/COP4(14).
2 Report on the scientific basis of tobacco product regulation. Third report of a WHO Study Group. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2009 (WHO Technical Report Series, No. 955).


Here's an example of how ANTZ lie:

15. The Republic of Korea performed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify and quantify contaminants and additives in electronic cigarettes. Preliminary results suggest that 10 toxicants can be identified and quantified and that there may be inconsistencies in nicotine content labeling and the actual values of nicotine. Bulgaria and Malaysia undertook studies to determine if the actual nicotine content was equal to what had been declared.

Notice first that there are no footnotes in the quoted passage to lead one to the authors, the title of the report, and the journal in which it was published. I was unable to track down a Korean study on this subject using Google search. So the first question is whether such a study was ever performed and published.

Second, although "10 toxicants" are mentioned, there is no clue given regarding the hazard level of these toxicants. Toxicants are not toxic in small doses. If these tests quantified toxicants, what were those quantities? How do those quantities compare to standard measures of harm such as LD-50 for ingested substances and Permissible Exposure Limits (in PPM or micrograms per cubic meter) for inhaled substances?

From the last sentence, we must assume that the studies in Bulgaria and Malaysia found that the actual nicotine content WAS equal to what had been declared, because surely an extremely biased document of this type would have mentioned the results if they identified problems.

But in all fairness, some good news was reported:

31. In addition, recent estimates indicate that the electronic cigarette market is growing rapidly in the European Union, and that the total value of the market in 2011 was €400–500 million.4 Additional statistics confirm that the use of electronic cigarettes has grown markedly in recent years: 7% of citizens of the European Union have reported that they have at least tried electronic cigarettes,5 and in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the number of electronic cigarette owners is expected to rise from a small number in 2006 to over 1 million by 2013.4

___________
4 Information provided by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Consumers from its own data gathering.
5 Special Eurobarometer 385: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco. European Commission, 2012. Available from: Eurobarometers - Eurobarometers | Public health , European Commission.

But here is the most maddening part:

33. It should be noted that ENDS are products resembling cigarettes and could therefore undermine the denormalization of tobacco use upheld by the WHO FCTC. One of the guiding principles of the guidelines for implementation of Article 12 (Education, communication, training and public awareness) is Norm change. It stipulates that it is “essential to change social, environmental and cultural norms and perceptions regarding the acceptability of the consumption of tobacco products, exposure to tobacco smoke ...”.1 Parties are therefore invited to consider that a ban of ENDS as already undertaken by some Parties would contribute to changing the social norms regarding the consumption of tobacco products.

________
1 The Guidelines for implementation of Article 12 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are
available at: http://www.who.int/fctc/protocol/guidelines/adopted/article_12/en/index.html.


TRANSLATION: After all our hard work demonizing smokers, making sure that they are kicked out of where they live, even thrown out of nursing homes, and prevented from gainful employment, we are spitting mad that electronic cigarettes have come along to upset our apple cart. We insist that these products be banned so that we can continue to torture and harass these folks when they relapse to smoking.

34. Another aspect to consider is that if ENDS are regarded as imitation tobacco products and banned, all ENDS would be covered, regardless of whether or not they contain nicotine, tobacco extracts, or make health claims. Parties may wish to consider that strong measures to prevent further spread of ENDS could be considered under a number of provisions of the WHO FCTC, including Article 5.2(b) which requires Parties to “adopt and implement effective ... measures … for preventing and reducing … nicotine addiction …”. Most ENDS contain nicotine, and would therefore contribute to maintaining an addiction to nicotine.

TRANSLATION: This issue isn't about public health, it's about our control, our power, and punishment of those dirty, horrid nicotine addicts. (Besides which, if these products gain in popularity, it's going to lower our profits on smoking cessation products that are only about 5% effective and will lower our profits on all those nice expensive cancer treatments, heart surgeries, and oxygen tanks.)

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

Elaine, I thought I remembered a post on Korea on ECF and found this one by Rolygate http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/media-general-news/259782-korean-government-attacks-e-cigarettes.html. I think the so called study in it may be the one they are using to back the BS that WHO is passing out.

 

[Fiamma]

Nothing like a totally brainwashed World Health Organization. Wonder who is lining their pockets.

 

[rolygate]

It proposes an interesting solution to the 'nicotine problem': banning anything that could be construed as an imitation cigarette.

I think it may be simpler to ban eating, since the consumption of nicotine by everyone leads to the need for more, by some individuals. Eating has terrible consequences and should be stopped right now.

 

[DC2]

I hope all users of electronic cigarettes are passionate enough to rise up when the time comes.

 

[sonicdsl]

It proposes an interesting solution to the 'nicotine problem': banning anything that could be construed as an imitation cigarette.

I think it may be simpler to ban eating, since the consumption of nicotine by everyone leads to the need for more, by some individuals. Eating has terrible consequences and should be stopped right now.

While we're at it, we should definitely ban coffee as that leads to caffeine addiction.

It's out of control.

Sent from my Galaxy Tab with Tapatalk2

 

[rolygate]

Elaine, the Korean stuff refers to a press release and partial lab test results document released by the Korean Ministry of Health that I commented on here: Korean Ministry of Health incompetence.

Note that this is science by press release, as usual, with the interesting exception that in this particular case an official document was never available online or published (there's no link as far as I know). This was a private lab test with uncorroborated results. Part of the lab test report was released, but Korean friends tell me it is garbled, incomplete, and of notably low quality - possibly a preliminary draft of the technician's notes, or something of that sort.

The report was notable for the incompetence of the laboratory that carried out the tests. As an example, most of the samples were declared to be contaminated by pthalates, which are plasticizers used in low-quality plastic bottles or containers. These have hardly ever been found before except in rare cases where a new distributor used a low quality bottle without realising the implications. In one case the problem was resolved by changing the bottle type after the test showed the problem. (This incident was reported by ECITA who keep an eye on these types of issues.) This was one incident from thousands of tests, worldwide, of a very large number of manufacturer's products.

In contrast, the Korean lab found most of their samples were contaminated with pthalates.

Dekang products would almost certainly have been included in their tests and found to be 'contaminated' - but no other tests of Dekang by other government labs (such as the FDA) have found such results. Note also that the Korean government refused to publish full details of the tests or what brands were affected.

Chemists consulted about this have speculated that the lab employed faulty procedures, and instead of using laboratory glassware for the samples, used cheap throwaway plastic containers that leached plasticizers into the samples. The procedure used was most likely to dissolve the e-liquid out of the cartos by the use of a solvent such as ethanol or methanol, place the liquid/solvent mix in plastic containers, then test the liquid. As a result of their ignorance and incompetence, the samples were then contaminated.

It is hard to accuse W.H.O. staff of lies, since an ignoramus cannot be assumed to have sufficient knowledge of basic science to figure out that the Korean government results were useless garbage on multiple levels. It would probably be more a case of negligent defamation or some such - defamation due to culpable negligence or whatever - if you wanted to attach a legal label to it. The Koreans didn't dare name the brands or publish the report, it wouldn't stand up to investigation for five minutes. It was just a plain smear, calculated to damage; and in that it seems to have been successful.

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

Thanks Roly, that's the one I was looking for, I thought it was here and couldn't find it.

 

[TennDave]

Incredible- this is like testing the vapor of an e-cig behind the exhaust fumes of an old-timey diesel truck and saying the ecig had lots of toxins in its vapor. Gee Wiz...when does it ever end?

 

[rolygate]

I guess it will end when the ecig industry has enough money to defend itself, like any other industry. Or when BT own enough assets in the industry.

Now is a great time to attack ecigs because they are weak. Later it will be a little more difficult to get away with the lies and propaganda.

 

[TomCatt]

Elaine, the Korean stuff refers to a press release and partial lab test results document released by the Korean Ministry of Health that I commented on here: Korean Ministry of Health incompetence.

Note that this is science by press release, as usual, with the interesting exception that in this particular case an official document was never available online or published (there's no link as far as I know). This was a private lab test with uncorroborated results. Part of the lab test report was released, but Korean friends tell me it is garbled, incomplete, and of notably low quality - possibly a preliminary draft of the technician's notes, or something of that sort.

The report was notable for the incompetence of the laboratory that carried out the tests. As an example, most of the samples were declared to be contaminated by pthalates, which are plasticizers used in low-quality plastic bottles or containers. These have hardly ever been found before except in rare cases where a new distributor used a low quality bottle without realising the implications. In one case the problem was resolved by changing the bottle type after the test showed the problem. (This incident was reported by ECITA who keep an eye on these types of issues.) This was one incident from thousands of tests, worldwide, of a very large number of manufacturer's products.

In contrast, the Korean lab found most of their samples were contaminated with pthalates.

Dekang products would almost certainly have been included in their tests and found to be 'contaminated' - but no other tests of Dekang by other government labs (such as the FDA) have found such results. Note also that the Korean government refused to publish full details of the tests or what brands were affected.

Chemists consulted about this have speculated that the lab employed faulty procedures, and instead of using laboratory glassware for the samples, used cheap throwaway plastic containers that leached plasticizers into the samples. The procedure used was most likely to dissolve the e-liquid out of the cartos by the use of a solvent such as ethanol or methanol, place the liquid/solvent mix in plastic containers, then test the liquid. As a result of their ignorance and incompetence, the samples were then contaminated.

It is hard to accuse W.H.O. staff of lies, since an ignoramus cannot be assumed to have sufficient knowledge of basic science to figure out that the Korean government results were useless garbage on multiple levels. It would probably be more a case of negligent defamation or some such - defamation due to culpable negligence or whatever - if you wanted to attach a legal label to it. The Koreans didn't dare name the brands or publish the report, it wouldn't stand up to investigation for five minutes. It was just a plain smear, calculated to damage; and in that it seems to have been successful.

Having worked quite a few years as a lab tech running GC/MS analyses, phthalates showing up in samples is very common and is routinely classified as 'background'. If you are actually looking to analyze phthalate containing samples, the samples should never be exposed to any type of plastics.

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

Having worked quite a few years as a lab tech running GC/MS analyses, phthalates showing up in samples is very common and is routinely classified as 'background'. If you are actually looking to analyze phthalate containing samples, the samples should never be exposed to any type of plastics.

But TomCatt, you were doing real tests, not a smear job trying to prove how bad something was.

 

[Rlafontaine1971]

Not meaning to ruffle feathers here but the US will (sooner rather than later) be under submit to full compliance under all WHO regulations. It's all part of the super elites NWO agenda and there wont be any independant organizations strong enough to defend themselves. If you think this is bad you should see the many, many other regs that have already been passed (not enforced yet). It will be illegal to grow your own food, it will be illegal to have your own water supply, you wont be able to purchase/sell vitamins or vitamin supplements. Things can and will get very bad eventually and it will happen in an instant. Most everyone already knows that you cant trust the media, the bad thing is that you cant trust the alternative media any longer either. God help us all when the ..... finally hits the fan.

 

[sonicdsl]

Not meaning to ruffle feathers here but the US will (sooner rather than later) be under submit to full compliance under all WHO regulations. It's all part of the super elites NWO agenda and there wont be any independant organizations strong enough to defend themselves. If you think this is bad you should see the many, many other regs that have already been passed (not enforced yet). It will be illegal to grow your own food, it will be illegal to have your own water supply, you wont be able to purchase/sell vitamins or vitamin supplements. Things can and will get very bad eventually and it will happen in an instant. Most everyone already knows that you cant trust the media, the bad thing is that you cant trust the alternative media any longer either. God help us all when the ..... finally hits the fan.

Somewhat alarmist....

But at any rate, like I've said, follow the money... WHO was funded by BP, from what I've read.