Are E-Cigarettes Safe?
An “e-cigarette” is an “electronic cigarette” that looks like a real cigarette but produces no smoke. It has a glowing red tip, to simulate the look, but is really just a stainless-steel tube that delivers nicotine to your system. When you puff on the ecigarette, the system delivers a mist that contains some flavoring and nicotine to simulate the “smoke” of a real cigarette. Just as there are menthol cigarettes, there are various flavors for ecigarette “smoke” like various fruits or even the mint of menthol.
Why do people use them?
They’re marketed a lot in airplanes (we were pitched one while flying Aer Lingus) because they produce no smoke, so smokers can enjoy the rush of nicotine while traveling on a plane, where most are non-smoking. With so many places banning smoking, from bars to hotels to airports, e-cigarettes offer an alternative way to get your nicotine without the smoke. You’re allowed to smoke an ecigarette indoors because there’s no smoke.
Also, since it’s water vapor with nicotine, it has none of the harmful effects of smoking. There is no tar because there is no smoke. There is still the risk of nicotine addiction but none of the smoke related carcinogens. In that respect it’s better than a regular cigarette.
In this way, it’s really no different than other nicotine delivery mechanisms like gums and patches. However, claims that it can help you quit smoking haven’t been backed up with data. Just as you can abuse gums and patches, you can abuse ecigarettes. The FDA has yet to make a ruling on ecigarettes, which are classified as drugs because they are a drug delivery system. Very recently, a federal judge ordered the FDA to stop the blocking of ecigarettes from China because they should be a tobacco product and not a drug device.
Are E-Cigarettes Safe?
In this Marketplace Money report, they take a closer look at ecigarettes, which cost around $100 a piece, and confirmed that there really isn’t enough information yet to make a decision on its safety. What we need is the FDA to take a long look at them, at the data, and issue a ruling on them.
If you want to learn more about e-cigarettes, this ebook has some more information.
1 Trackback(s)