E-cigarettes contain toxic chemicals, FDA says

[RamboLiberal]

Source: MSNBC/AP

WASHINGTON - Federal health officials said Wednesday they have found cancer-causing ingredients in electronic cigarettes, despite manufacturers' claims the products are safer than tobacco cigarettes.

The Food and Drug Administration said testing of products from two leading electronic cigarette makers turned up several toxic chemicals, including a key ingredient in antifreeze. FDA scientists said they tested 19 varieties of cigarettes, many of which contained fruit and candy flavors.

Public health advocates have complained the products are marketed toward young people and can serve as a "gateway" to tobacco smoking. Because electronic cigarettes are not covered by federal tobacco laws, they are often easier for young people to purchase.

Electronic cigarettes produce a nicotine mist absorbed directly into the lungs. Most can easily pass as a tobacco cigarette with slim white bodies and glowing amber tips. They even emit what look like puffs of white smoke.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32088790/ns/health-addictions/

[orleans]

1. electronic cigarettes? what will they think of next?

who smokes an electronic cigarette? a robot who has just had its batteries charged?

[notadmblnd]

3. I was reading a post over the weekend

one DUer here had just gotten his/her order. I visited a website of a e-cig vendor. I thought it was expensive and unappealing. I was waiting for the poster to respond back and let us know how he liked them.

[DoctorMyEyes]

7. I smoke electronic cigarettes

and I have no intention of giving up this product which is INFINITELY less unhealthy for me and the people around me than a traditional cigarette.

This whole thing about marketing to young people and children because they're flavored is just ridiculous. Are flavored foods, drinks and liquors not enjoyed by adults?

These things are expensive and don't make you look "cool" or "hard" to your friends. They're not marketed or sold to anyone under 18. If a kid is going to find a way around that law or break it it's going to be a lot easier to lay their hands on a pack of cigarettes for a few dollars than it is to lay out between $50 and $150 for and electronic cigarette.

And there's no way that they're a "gateway" to tobacco. I smoked for 36 years before switching to electronic cigarettes 3 months ago and now I can't stand the taste or smell of real cigarettes. I much prefer my butterscotch vapor to smoking.

Edited to add: What would be the point of electronic cigarette dealers grooming their customers to become future tobacco users? The main problem with electronic cigarettes isn't safety - it's political. They cut into big tobacco, big pharma and tobacco tax revenues.

[Taverner]

35. Makes sense. That was one of the reasons Nicorette went OTC

The tobacco companies "ended up" with significant shares in the Pharm co that makes the gum.

[Matariki]

39. I have a friend who quit smoking using them

He seems to like the thing. On the upside, he doesn't smell bad anymore.

[onehandle]

2. Take them down. I'll be glad to see the huxters that wave young people down in malls gone.

They are simply, scum.

[Irreverend IX]

5. A lot of smokers are using E-cigarettes to help quit.

The FDA is attacking them because they're bought and paid for.

[Ian David]

29. Suffer not a poisoner to live. Exodus 22:18 n/t

[Mari333]

4. oh who cares, everything causes cancer

eggs, couches, lamps, water, shoes, meat, earrings, urinals, air, masturbating, not masturbating, breathing, fucking, swimming, belching, eating, singing, farting, dancing, moaning, electricity, gas, moving, posturing, gloating, scamping, tramping, vamping, and daisies cause cancer. everything causes cancer.
who cares.
people trying to stop smoking, for christs sake, let them try something that works without slapping it down so soon.
i stopped smoking 3 months ago, its hard as hell. i chew nicorettes. do they cause cancer? fucking probably. who gives a shit.
whatever works.

[UpInArms]

10. great post Mari333!

I quit smoking 3 years ago - July 25, 2006

hardest thing then - now can hardly remember smoking for 35+ years

hang in there

:hug:

[Mari333]

16. congrats i cant wait til i dont think about wanting to smoke heh

and july 25 is my b day which makes it even better..
hugs

[UpInArms]

20. it will get easier -

it becomes kind of third person after a while - like ... hmmmm.... I used to want to smoke when (fill in the blank) and now, well that moment just passed and I forgot to want one :)

[Mojorabbit]

28. I am on day sixteen of no smoking

after thirty nine years of smoking.
I used an electronic cig of and on for the first few weeks.
I knew the FDA would go after them. Sucks.

[enlightenment]

26. That - was - brilliant. Wow!

Brava!! :headbang:

I quit 10 (11?) years ago. It sucked mouse tits, but I did it. I would have LOVED e-cigs.

Hang in there, Mari!

[Robb]

6. Here's the highlights

I'm interested in this, as a lozenge-sucker. :)

From the FDA short version of the findings:

* FDA conducted a preliminary analysis on some samples of electronic cigarettes and components from two leading brands. Due to the variability among products, this analysis should not be used to draw conclusions about what substances are or are not present in particular electronic cigarettes or brands of electronic cigarettes.
* FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation, Office of Compliance purchased two samples of electronic cigarettes and components from two leading brands. These samples included 18 of the various flavored, nicotine, and no-nicotine cartridges offered for use with these products. These cartridges were obtained in order to test some of the ingredients contained in them and inhaled by users of electronic cigarettes.
* FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation, Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis (DPA) analyzed the cartridges from these electronic cigarettes for nicotine content and for the presence of other tobacco constituents, some of which are known to be harmful to humans, including those that are potentially carcinogenic or mutagenic.
* DPA's analysis of the electronic cigarette samples showed that the product contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed.
* DPA's testing also suggested that quality control processes used to manufacture these products are inconsistent or non-existent.
* Specifically, DPA's analysis of the electronic cigarette cartridges from the two leading brands revealed the following:
-------- Diethylene glycol was detected in one cartridge at approximately 1%. Diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze, is toxic to humans.
-------- Certain tobacco-specific nitrosamines which are human carcinogens were detected in half of the samples tested.
-------- Tobacco-specific impurities suspected of being harmful to humans—anabasine, myosmine, and β-nicotyrine—were detected in a majority of the samples tested.
-------- The electronic cigarette cartridges that were labeled as containing no nicotine had low levels of nicotine present in all cartridges tested, except one.
-------- Three different electronic cigarette cartridges with the same label were tested and each cartridge emitted a markedly different amount of nicotine with each puff. The nicotine levels per puff ranged from 26.8 to 43.2 mcg nicotine/100 mL puff.
-------- One high-nicotine cartridge delivered twice as much nicotine to users when the vapor from that electronic cigarette brand was inhaled than was delivered by a sample of the nicotine inhalation product (used as a control) approved by FDA for use as a smoking cessation aid.

The long-version PDF file is here.

[Doremus]

8. I would like to see a side by side comparison between ecigs and analogs.

I smoked for 35 years and tried patches, lozenges, gum, cold turkey, you name it.

E-cigs are the only thing that has worked. I've been smoke-free for 7 weeks now.

I figured they probably weren't the healthiest things around but they HAVE to be a helluva lot better than inhaling tar-filled smoke that has probably turned my lungs to cement. I just hope they don't outlaw them until I'm strong enough to stay off regular cigarettes. :(

[Abq_Sarah]

24. 7 weeks?

That's terrific after 35 years! I've been thinking about giving them a try. It's gotta be better than the patch.

[jberryhill]

33. New Zealand Health Department Did A Comparison...

...and found the expected result - ecigs less harmful than cigarettes.

People are so dumb. Nobody said ecigs were GOOD for you. The point is whether they are an improvement.

The FDA here is saying there are "tobacco specific impurities" in the cartridges.

Well, duh, a cigarette is NOTHING BUT "tobacco specific impurities" - i.e. tobacco.

[santamargarita]

9. I have one and stopped smoking cigarettes immediately - it works

The tobacco lobby will pay off a few asshole politicians to push the FDA further - in addition, they won't get their tax dollars.
And, they keep referring to Ethylene Glycol which they confuse with Diethylene Glycol - most likely on purpose. Diethylene Glycol has never been proven to be carcinogenic.

[jmowreader]

40. Neither has ethylene glycol

The problem with any ethylene glycol (diethylene, triethylene, whatever) is it's highly poisonous. Specifically, it destroys the kidneys, and the more ethylene groups hanging off the glycol group, the worse it is for you.

[The abyss]

11. I have got to try these!

Anything taking an attack from the FDA probably works.

Santamargarita’s comment regarding the glycol term is the primary pointer to the “hype”

[santamargarita]

13. I found this forum with lots of information for anyone interested

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/

[The abyss]

15. Thanks for the link!

[Politicub]

12. Does anyone actually use those things?

They sell them at one of those little kiosks in the mall here. I assumed they were more of a gag gift than something someone would actually use to replace smoking cigarettes.

[NashVegas]

14. There's a DUer Selling Them

Do a search in the GD forum.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

17. I do.

I've cut down my normal cigarette consumption by at least half.

[Politicub]

18. Well that's good

I honestly didn't know people seriously used them.

[DoctorMyEyes]

22. Those ones at the mall are way overpriced

and not among the most highly rated models. So, I guess they are a "gag" of sorts. It was the first one I bought and the joke was on me when I found out I could buy better performing ones for 1/3 the price. But, at least they served as an introduction to the technology that has finally helped me quit smoking.

[jberryhill]

34. I do

The ones at the mall kiosks are crap.

But, yes, I stopped using analogs immediately, and have tapered down.

One of the major advantages is simply being able to take a couple of puffs now and again to deal with craving, instead of smoking an entire cigarette.

FDA needs to study COMPARATIVE risk here.

[ConcernedCanuk]

19. LOL - like "real" cigarettes don't?

.


gimme a break

who writes this shit?

OH

probably some ex-White House reporter

THEY know how to make something out of nothing,

or nothing out of something . . .

[cigsandcoffee]

21. God, will the anti-smoke brigade allow us no small comfort?

You can't even make a fake cigarette with no secondhand smoke now. What is it with you people, anyway?

[Nihil]

32. It's your own (ex-?) people that are doing this to you ...

... i.e., not the "anti-smoke brigade" but the tobacco lobby.

This non-smoker is truly delighted that the e-cigarettes are helping
so many people to give up, to cut down or to simply swap to a safer,
cleaner and (from my view) far better alternative!

:thumbsup:

[awoke_in_2003]

41. I have to agree with Nihil...

the people who raise the biggest stink about smoking is ex-smokers

[earcandle]

23. Robot cigs... hmmm... not too smart.

[Obama2012]

25. They're made in China, which scares me more than my regular cigs

I'll quit when I'm ready, but I'll be damned if I puff on those. They poison our pets and their own people.

[lindisfarne]

27. I'm less concerned if they're poisoning ONLY the person who chooses to smoke them.n/t

[Ian David]

30. Agreed. I'd have no problem if e-cigarettes are MORE dangerous. n/t

[excess_3]

31. don't believe everything you read... n/t

[applegrove]

36. As soon as I heard about them I was sure they would be no safer than real cigarettes.

After all chewing tabacco is a carcinogen so why would a mist be too. Thankfully I was well into my quit and committed to it before these e cigarettes were available.

[LaceyUnderall]

37. Electronic Cigarettes Found Safer Than Tobacco Cigarettes!

In a desperate attempt to let the public know that the FDA is manipulating them, I have found this forum and well... I think I might have to play here more often! So please excuse my first post appearing to be spammy... as it kind of is... but it is really meant to get the information out that the FDA and Pharmaceutical has banned together in yet another attempt, to manipulate the public. In an effort to thwart tobacco harm reduction, they have manipulated their study findings

What the FDA has failed to tell the public is that they have had their "findings" available since May 4th. If the electronic cigarette is so dangerous, why withhold that information from the public? Why have a scheduled press junket on May 5th, and then cancel it? They had the perfect opportunity to disperse this important step forward in health, but they chose not to use it?

This study was un-peer reviewed and after it's release, many doctors weighed in including Dr. Michael Siegel http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspost.com where he noted many flaws in the study and what also came out is that the control, a nicotine inhaler wasn't studied OR the test results were withheld. Why? Because what they found in the electronic cigarette is also found in all of the NRT's as well. Now why would they want you to think the ecig is bad and not the gum, the patch or the inhaler?

There is no doubt that the electronic cigarette manufacturing process needs higher standards. The Electronic Cigarette Association http://www.ecassoc.org would love to work with the FDA, but the FDA clearly has an agenda of it's own: Keep nicotine in the pharmaceutical companies control.

In our society, do we really have only room for the "quit or die" philosophy or is it time to start allowing the products of tobacco harm reduction to be given a fair shake?

Personally, I have been smoking for 16 years. I have quit god knows how many times, only to start back up after miserable depression within 4-6 months. For the first time, I am smoking my electronic cigarette and not looking back.

Please, do not fall for this manipulated study and don't let others. There is finally a product on the market that yes, needs some assistance being pushed forward when it comes to manufacturing process and standards, but it most certainly could help end the smoking death toll that we face every year. The FDA just did a study and their findings were that the electronic cigarette is in fact safer than cigarettes. But they didn't point that out!

Please, educate yourself with facts and pass them on!
http://www.e-cig.org

[TZ]

38. LOL

I love it when hypocritical DU'ers now take the world of a MANUFACTURER over the FDA.
I just LOVE the anti-science idiocy on this site.
DU--Bash the FDA for not doing enough to protect consumers and YET when they actually do their job..ITS OH NOES ITS A CONSPIRACY.