FDA Cracking Down on E-Cigarette Imports
Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, look like the real thing but have just one thing in common with cigarettes made from tobacco: nicotine. An electronic cigarette consists of a white cylindrical tube with a brown filter and a red, glowing tip. Instead of tobacco however, e-cigarettes are filled with liquid nicotine. When smokers draw on the business end of the tube, a battery heats the nicotine, which creates a water-based nicotine vapor that is inhaled into the lungs. The excess cigarette-like "smoke" vapor is then emitted from the end of the e-cigarette, completing the cigarette smoking illusion.
Touted as a Healthy Smoking Alternative
Manufacturers of electronic cigarettes say that the product is a healthy smoking alternative, and even an effective quit smoking aid.
A typical manufactured cigarette contains upwards of 4000 chemical compounds, many of which are poisonous and/or cause cancer. While nicotine is the addictive ingredient in cigarettes, it is the thousands of toxins contained in cigarette smoke that account for the majority of smoking-related diseases associated with tobacco use.
The jury is still out on all of the health hazards of nicotine, but we do know that nicotine is extremely poisonous. In fact, one drop of pure nicotine is enough to kill a person. Smokers receive much smaller doses than that in tobacco products, however. For instance, a standard cigarette contains approximately 10 milligrams of nicotine, but only one or two milligrams is inhaled directly by the smoker. It is unclear how much nicotine is inhaled through an electronic cigarette because this product is unregulated (and untested for the most part) as of now.
Electronic Cigarettes Under Scrutiny
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looks at the electronic cigarette as an unapproved new drug due to the lack of scientific evidence of the safety and effectiveness of this smoking substitute. As such, the FDA has been detaining and blocking imports of electronic cigarettes since at least last summer, though they are not pulling e-cigarettes from U.S. store shelves presently.
In a statement issued in September of 2008, the World Health Organization warned consumers that there is no solid evidence to support contentions that electronic cigarettes are a safe smoking alternative -- or an effective way to help people quit smoking.
FDA Hazy on E-Cigarettes' Safety -- CNN.com
A good and neutral summary of the electronic cigarette!
These have been used in Europe for years, aside from the fact that it would be nice if there were more standardization of the liquids, what the heck are they thinking?? Don’t they get the hypocrisy of allowing tobacco products (well known carcinogen carriers) to go on unabated aside from making it inconvenient to use. But they’re going to stop something that people have been using for years safely, without harm to others, and themselves? I have used these cigarettes. I like them better than smoking, get them at the lowest nic concentration before it’s zero, and will definitely go back to regular old cigarettes when these are pulled. Because frankly, patches, gum, inhalers, just don’t work. I smoke more from being bored than anything else. The other smoking substitutions give me nothing to do with my hands to satisfy the tactile experience. Our FDA is off their rockers. They put things through all the time with bad, very bad, side effects and now they’re taking a stand on something that could be better for us than the alternative? Because of, so far, imagined issues? Point me at who I need to kick in the shin.
Want to know why the FDA is concerned? Because it doesn’t have its regulatory claws into it yet. The govt isn’t gettings it’s $3.00 per pack in taxes. That’s why the product is so bad. I liked one comment stating the nicotine provided in the ecig might be addictive. Well hell, what do they think we have going on with real cigs? I still say it is a matter of an unregulated product and organizations that feel the need to stick their damn noses where they aren’t wanted. I mean, what would they rather have, people still smoking regular cigs with all the chemicals they constantly begrudge and warn about or something that is a replacement and can quite possibly help one to kick the smoking habit period?
I am an E-cigg user.. I quit smoking about 6 months ago and have been usng the E-cig after asking my doctor what he thought.. I got the OK from my dr to try this.. I have been very happy with the outcome, i dont smell, my wife who doesnt smoke loves that i am using it. I would recomend it to anyone that wants to quit smoking but enjoys the nicotine that goes along with it.
But if they ban them in the US, then i will just go back to cigs and give the big finger to the FDA!
FYI nicotine is a stimulant, like caffine…
Doesnt pose any known issues in small uses.. hell you can drink water till you drown, are the FDA going to ban that next?
Why does everything need to be banned? Isn’t regulation and taxation enough?
I get it and I really hope they do some testing on these e-cigs because I’m pretty sure that they will turn out to be a wonderful alternative. I also think testing will reveal any blind spots we might not be aware of (such as dosage issues or other effects it may have). All in all, it pretty hard for them to be worst than smoking, but we still need to know that what we are selling doesn’t have some horrible unknown side effect. (for all we know the process of aerosolizing nicotine could change its structure or something? – unlikely but possible) I don’t think they will ban it unless they have evidence that it is harmful.
what dose the FDA care about weather something is safe or not
have you seen any drug adds on tv
it can give you cancer FDA approved
it can cause strokes FDA approved
it can make you kill your self FDA approved
it can kill you first time you tack it FDA approved
it competes with big phrma FDA banned
thats the real story here the FDA is a puppet of big phrma
This is not about health, it is about money.
http://www.nowpublic.com/health/big-pharm-funding-anti-e-cigarette-campaigners
Take a look at why these special interest groups are acting the way they are against e cigarettes.
I wonder WHAT the FDA is thinking? There were nicotine inhalers ten years ago but they did not simulate the smoking experience as well as these ecigs seem to. As a matter of fact I quit for a year using nicotine inhalers and lost all the gunk from my lungs in the process. Gupta says that inhaled nicotine is new NOT true. Made by NicoDerm ten years ago but short stubby ugly things that no one would really want to be seen in public with.
I just ordered my first ecig for both my health and my family’s health because I can no longer find the old kind.
FDA why don’t you help keep me from getting lung or pancreatic cancer nad help keep my kid from breathing second-hand smoke if only from my clothing. GMAFB And PLEASE let not tie this up in the red tape that made the cost of the old nicotine inhalers so ungodly unaffordable!!!!!
Some e-cig suppliers may be making claims that are not proven, but this does not make it a bad or dangerous product. The companies making claims should get approval to do so.
If we take all the known carcinogens out of cigarettes (which is scientifically what happens with e-cigarettes), it should then be up to the user to decide if they prefer it or not. If they want to continue smoking tobacco, then that is their choice.
So now you ask “how do we know the electronic cigarette vapor doesn’t contain any known carcinogens?” Other than the antidotal story of my wife showing the list of ingredients to her doctor, there have been studies done: http://acceptablechoice.si/GeneralView.htm
There was also one from Health New Zealand: http://www.healthnz.co.nz/
There are currently tests underway of the e-cigarette in the US and they are expected to come out carcinogen free as well…but time will tell.
Either way, the basic ingredients in eliquid is Propylene Glycol (generally recognized as safe by the FDA and in toothpaste, pills, lotions, and as a food additive) OR Vegetalbe Glycerin (used as a liquid sweetner), water (H2O), nicotine (optional) and flavoring. The labs break down the flavoring further).
All this doesn’t mean it is safe to inhale propylene glycol or glycerin or even water vapor.
But compare it to what’s in the smoke of a burning tobacco cigarette and decide for yourself.
For updates on the topic visit:
http://www.e-cig.org/2009/05/01/what-is-going-on-with-the-fda-and-the-electronic-cigarette/
They still sell these. Go to meijer and look next to the cigarette isle, right next to the TOP cigarette tubes.
I’m not for govt. regulation, but I use e-cigs and they are making a lot of people very rich. They are way overpriced, and the parts wear out fast so you have to keep buying and buying.
We can scream about the FDA all we want, but to buy a plastic tube and the extras will cost you around $100 with the flavored cartridges.
Maybe the FDA getting into this will not be as bad as we all are inclined to think it will.
Because the FDA isn’t sure that ecigs are safe they want to ban them in favor of leaving real cigarettes on the market because the they already know they’ll kill us?
Vaping and loving it!
omfg it’s the future!
I’ve been off tobacco cigs for over 6 months! I can take a deep breath without my lungs hurting, have more energy and feel alot better, no more morning coughing! No ashtrays or stinky smoke around my house or car. Its wonderful. As for kids using them yeah right kids are gonna spend so much money to get one, I highly doubt it. Keep electronic cigs on the market just stick a warning label on them like everything else.
what a joke $$$$ thats what it all comes down to and as far as paying $100 for a kit and so on look around the net you can get you own stuff to refill your carts. and atomizers 1 main component cost as low as $7 if you take 2 atomizers a month thats $14 and the juice at max for month is $50 at Max.$74 a month not bad considering that my marlbr*** cost round $6 a pack and i was 2-4 pack a day witch makes that out to 12-24$ a Day1 week of not smoking and i paid for me ecig habbit for 2 months or so lol
sorry big brother you arnt getting any more $ from me thats why fda is so upset
Check this out, Google “phillip morris fda” you will learn that not only does phillip morris praise the ant smoking bill which the fda is using to attack electric cigarettes they CO AUTHERED IT!!! this is no joke. This knoledge allows you to very clearly see what is happening here. The fda is not here to help us be safe they are here to help us die at the hands of phillip morris the makers of Marlboro.
I dont understand why its even taking the FDA so long to figure out what is in these e-cigs. I love my e-cig but if i decided to spend a lot of money on trying to help me kick the habbit that could be even more dangerous than a regualar cig then i will be pissed but then again i hope the FDA doesnt spoof on their findings and say that it is harmful just to control people
I started on these a month ago. I’ve tried everything over the over 40 years I’ve smoked to no avail and was smoking a carton a week. These are a GODSEND! I’ve spent much less on these than cigarettes and have only smoked one pack a week since starting them. The “real” cigarettes are now less desirable to me every day and I doubt it’ll be long before that psychological temptation bothers me. For the FDA to worry about these is ludicrous! We already know cigarette smoking is harmful but the government simply taxes them enough to be happy there are people who smoke. These are simply awesome!