Electronic Cigarette Facts
I watched a spotlight feature on a local TV station a few months ago regarding a nifty little gadget called the “Electronic Cigarette” and couldn’t help but think it was most likely the greatest thing since sliced bread. What an absolutely brilliant idea … nicotine without all the harmful chemicals, astounding. It was due to the loss of his father to lung cancer, that Hon Lik, Ruyan’s chief designer, delivered the solution to the problem all smokers have faced for years … devastating health issues and ultimately death … no ifs, ands or butts about it. He introduced the smoking consumer to the electronic cigarette which he invented and designed in 2003 and over the course of the last few years, the popularity has been growing by leaps and bounds.
I am a smoker and I do know what my habit is doing to me, so I decided to invest in one of these devices. After all, it is a fact that the use of tobacco is the single largest cause of preventable deaths worldwide and accounts for more than 440,000 of the more than 2.4 million annual deaths … so I figured anything else simply had to be better than a conventional cigarette.
However, on July 22nd, the FDA released a statement warning of the dangers involved in using this product. I was curious about what the FDA had uncovered, since tobacco products include approximately 599 ingredients many of which are poisonous and carcinogenic in nature and produce around 4,000 toxic chemicals when smoked. To think someone had actually come out with a more dangerous product and had the gall to market it was truly amazing.
The FDA Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis had analyzed the ingredients in a small sample of cartridges from two leading brands of electronic cigarettes. In one sample, the FDA analysis detected diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans, and in several other samples, the FDA analysis detected carcinogens, including nitrosamines. These tests indicate that these products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed. I was shocked … they were there alright.
Although they did not provide the levels of nitrosamines, I found a report posted by Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, Boston University School of Public Health with over 20 years of experience in tobacco control, primarily as a researcher. As stated in his blog titled “The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary“, there are levels of NAB at 0.69, NAT 2.16, NNK showed at 1.46 and NNN was 3.87 … 8.2 in total .. now since I’m not too familiar with these nitrosamines they were so concerned with, I figured I should check out the levels in the tobacco products as well. Since these nitrosamines are “tobacco specific” obviously, they would be found in tobacco as well, that only made sense and at least it would give me a good idea as to where the levels should be, since cigarettes are an approved product and have been on the market forever.
As it turned out, Marlboro showed 190 NAB, NAT was 4900, the NNK level was at 1800 and levels of 4300 showed for NNN. The total nitrosamine level was 11,190 and no that isn’t a decimal point. Then I checked into the other test results as compared to the Nicotrol Inhaler and they are as follows … Limit of detection Cotinine 20 ppb. Anabasine 10 ppb; myosmine 69 ppb; β-nicotyrine 170 ppb – present but at less than the level of the Nicotrol specification. Analyte was detected but at a level less than the limit-of-quantification.
There you have it … detectable levels of certain elements, which are found in all nicotine based products, mind you, the levels detected in the electronic cigarette were below those determined to be harmful and well below the minimum risk levels accepted by the US Public Health Service and OSHA.
The FDA “Smoke and Mirrors” release created a worldwide panic resulting in a product boycott, border bans, health warnings regarding the risks involved in using this product, some officials around the world have included the electronic cigarette in the public “smoking bans” and charges have even been leveled at some of the manufacturers for continuing to market and distribute this product. The fact that the FDA led people to believe that the dangers associated with using this product were significant enough to warrant a boycott and ban, definitely sends a message … but the message it sends is that this agency, which is in place to safeguard our health, has ulterior motives and a completely separate agenda.
They would have you believe that there is cause for concern regarding the vapor that the electronic cigarette produces … which is patently ridiculous. There is no burning of the ingredients, such as with the conventional cigarette and it is the burning process, which is required to create the toxic mix of over 4000 chemicals that form the deadly smoke that traditional cigarettes emit. In fact the electronic cigarette tested lower than the Nicotrol Inhaler used as the control … an “approved” nicotine based product already on the market, which are used wherever and whenever the person chooses. Consumers utilizing these products have certainly not been forced to use them outside and I’ve never seen anyone running for their life and bolting out safety exits when someone uses one of the nicotine inhalers, pops a piece of nicotine gum or lozenge in their mouth or slaps on a nicotine patch.
They were also deeply concerned that the electronic cigarette would serve as a “stepping stone” to smoking and stated that they are specifically marketed to young people since they are available in a variety of flavors … forgetting of course that all the other nicotine replacement products already in the market place are available in a variety of flavors. I really can’t imagine how nicotine gum ever reached the store shelves since it is also available in a variety of tantalizing flavors and we all know that historically … gum is a product that has traditionally been aimed directly at our children. I suppose using their logic, we can assume that the nicotine replacement product manufacturers deliberately, maliciously and intentionally set out to trap our young children into lifelong gum and lozenge addictions although in actuality, I believe that it is much more likely that the manufacturers simply knew that a nicotine tasting product would never sell.
Personally, I am outraged at the collective effort of the numerous agencies involved with this boycott and appalled that they would intentionally contribute to the hysteria regarding what can most definitely be considered a much safer alternative to the tobacco products. Governments worldwide have stepped in and banned the electronic cigarette, branding them as a toxic, highly dangerous product, manufactured by companies intent on harming our younger generation. Government officials, cancer organizations, research facilities, anti-smoking groups and countless others, that have fed off the profits of tobacco sales for decades now have aligned themselves with one singular purpose in mind … self-preservation.
All I had to do, was look at the FDA report to realize what was going on and the fact that none of the individuals involved with these organizations appear to have even bothered to confirm or disregard the findings in the FDA report, indicates an absolute disregard for the health, welfare and safety of the consumer and points to a blatant misuse of the authority they are empowered with. We have been lulled into a false sense of security and duped into believing that these organizations were looking after our best interests and our personal well-being, when in fact … it seems that our health in no way compares to the importance of the annual profit realized from the tobacco manufacturers.
As a result of their recent actions, I believe these individuals involved with the numerous associations, organizations, health care and government sectors worldwide … deliberately set the boycott and subsequent ban of this product in motion in an effort to eliminate a potential competitor from the marketplace, so as to maintain the status quo for their “Cash Cow” the tobacco industry. In doing so, this decision has held the smoking population hostage to a product that is proven to kill and I believe they should be held accountable for their actions.
Since these individuals knowingly and deliberately chose to disregard their main objective, which is our health and welfare … I would ask that resignations be tendered immediately from all parties involved. I would also expect a complete and thorough investigation into this matter by an impartial third party and furthermore, I would also recommend that a complete and separate organization be formed to regulate this new product, since it is abundantly clear that the FDA can not be trusted to do so.
