It is no secret that the FDA is trying to kill off the electronic cigarette. In July of 2009, the FDA released findings of its research of some electronic cigarettes, which is the first known study of these devices. The analysis concluded that the electronic cigarette cartridges contain carcinogens, including nitrosamines, and toxic chemicals like diethylene glycol. The FDA commissioner of food and drugs stated, “The FDA is concerned about the safety of these products and how they are marketed to the public.” There is also concern that since electronic cigarettes “have not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval, at this time the agency has no way of knowing, except for the limited testing it has performed, the levels of nicotine or the amounts or kinds of other chemicals that the various brands of these products deliver to the user,” nor is any information available concerning the dangers of inhaling secondhand vapor.
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights worries that the manufacturers of electronic cigarettes are selling them as something that smokers can use in workplaces and public places where the smoking of tobacco products is illegal. They state that there is no proof that electronic cigarettes pose no danger to those exposed to the vapors they give off; if there is potential danger, then their use in workplaces and public places could be detrimental to public health. They believe that public health officials should make it clear that electronic cigarettes are not an acceptable alternative for tobacco products in designated areas that the law mandates to be smoke free.
E-cigarettes are devices developed to imitate conventional cigarettes. They are sold in a range of flavors, nicotine levels, and new varieties, marketed as a less hazardous alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes, and have become quite popular. The metal tubes, which are designed to resemble tobacco cigarettes, contain a cartridge filled with a nicotine-filled liquid that is vaporized by a battery-powered heating element. The nicotine vapor is inhaled by smokers when they draw on the device, as would a traditional tobacco cigarette. Most electronic cigarettes claim to contain nicotine, and some claim to also have nicotine-free cartridges.
Manufacturers are not required to declare the ingredients in electronic cigarettes, nor in the substances inhaled and exhaled by the electronic cigarette user. So then, why all the fuss? All the concern surrounding the electronic cigarette may be justified, as with any new product on the market, but the extent of this concern is unjustified. The FDA is now in a final push to ban electronic cigarettes, following a very public smear campaign.
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I really hope all of this turns out in favor of electronic cigarettes. The fact that the tiny traces of carcinogens found in e-cigs are the "reason" behind the FDA's movement is absurd when compared to the levels of carcinogens found in traditional cigarettes.
Hospitals are beginning to allow vaping within their buildings, this should serve as a precedent for the acceptance of electronic cigarettes.
I just wish some REAL research would be done on the e-juice and the REAL effects. I love my e-cig but I do worry about the ingredients and the possible effects, although I am not sure that they could compare to the pack a day habit I had before