Controversy Swirls Around E-Cigarettes
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Posted On :
Sep-25-2010
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Federal regulators and antismoking groups are taking steps that could snuff out electronic cigarettes, the smokeless nicotine products embraced by a growing number of people trying to kick the habit or avoid bans on smoking in public.
Electronic cigarettes typically consist of a metal tube containing an atomizer, a battery and a cartridge filled with liquid nicotine. When a user sucks on an e-cigarette, a light-emitting diode causes the tip to glow and the atomizer turns the liquid nicotine into a vapor -- thus it is called vaping instead of smoking. The vapor can be inhaled and then exhaled, creating a cloud that resembles cigarette smoke but dissipates more quickly and doesn't have the lingering odor.
Most electronic cigarettes sold in the U.S. are manufactured and tested in China.
The American Lung Association, along with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, recently called for e-cigarettes to be removed from the market. The groups say e-cigarettes have yet to be proven safe and that kids may be attracted to the products, some of which come in flavors like chocolate and strawberry. "Nobody knows what the consumers are actually inhaling," says Erika Sward, director of national advocacy at the American Lung Association.
But e-cigarette companies say their product is a better alternative to cigarettes because there is no smoke or combustion involved. "Anybody who doesn't think this product without any smoke attached to it is orders of magnitude less harmful than cigarettes just has no concept of basic science," says Jack Leadbeater, president and chief executive of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Sottera Inc., which sells the Njoy brand of electronic cigarettes.
There are three large U.S. companies and dozens of smaller ones selling electronic cigarettes, most of which are made in China. Sales of the products, which barely registered in the U.S. just two years ago, have more than doubled over the past 12 months to an estimated $100 million, according to the Washington-based Electronic Cigarette Association, an industry association formed this spring.
A startup kit, which typically includes the e-cigarette device, a set of nicotine cartridges and batteries, costs between $60 and $120. Companies say that using e-cigarettes is cheaper than regular cigarettes in the long run on a cost-per-puff basis.
Regulators have acted quickly to quell the rising popularity of e-cigarettes, saying e-cigarettes are drug devices that need regulatory approval before being legally sold and marketed in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration says that as of March 1 it "has refused 17 shipments of various brands of these 'electronic' cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, and their components." The agency added that it will continue to evaluate the products on a case-by-case basis "to determine the appropriate action to take."
The FDA has the power to regulate smoking-cessation products but not tobacco. It says it has examined electronic cigarettes and determined that they meet the "definition of both a drug and device under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act," according to legal filings. Drugs and delivery devices must receive FDA approval before being marketed.
Some e-cigarette companies have sued the FDA in federal court, saying the agency has no jurisdiction over the products because they are an alternative to smoking, not a drug device aimed at helping people quit.
"If everybody in the U.S. were to switch to the electronic cigarette tomorrow, you will have removed secondhand smoke, you will have removed combustion products" from the market, says Walt Linscott, lead counsel for Smoking Everywhere Inc., an e-cigarette company in Sunrise, Fla.
Still, some smokers swear by e-cigarettes as a tool for quitting. "I'm a nervous wreck" over a possible halt to e-cigarette sales, says Carolyn Smeaton, 48 years old, of Fall River, Mass. Ms. Smeaton used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day and now mainly uses e-cigarettes, which she says have helped her get rid of her smoker's cough.
Although not all companies clearly label their ingredients, e-cigarettes typically include water, nicotine, scents or flavorings and propylene glycol, a common ingredient used in hand sanitizers. Nicotine, while addictive, is generally thought to be non-carcinogenic, but it has been linked to high blood pressure.
Electronic cigarettes have become increasingly popular in the U.S. as more states and localities ban indoor smoking and boost taxes on cigarettes. Users have had varied experiences vaping in public, ranging from indifference to odd glances.
On a recent day, Shai Shloush, 25, from Knoxville, Tenn., huddled in the back of a movie theater to watch the new Star Trek movie. He powered up his e-cigarette and puffed away. "I was covering the LED part so people wouldn't notice," said Mr. Shloush, a former smoker. "Every once in a while I'd be really sneaky about letting out the smoke."
related from: lauren.etter@wsj.com
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Controversy Swirls Around E-Cigarettes_34620.aspx
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Keywords :
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Category :
Health and Fitness
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Health and Fitness
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