!["e-cigarettes are addictive and harmful to health," -- Victor De Noble](http://www.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large_lightbox/hash/3c/91/3c91ec09864dca19213fb3c45ec06a2b.JPG ""e-cigarettes are addictive and harmful to health," -- Victor De Noble")
Electronic cigarettes, “e-cigarettes”, are presented in various blogs and websites as a safer and cheaper alternative to smoking cigarettes.
A brief survey of tobacco shops in the Sacramento area (Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, North Highlands, and Carmichael) confirmed that most of their customers purchase e-cigarettes as “a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes”.
But does that mean we should conclude that smokeless cigarettes offer any measure of safety? A recent study about the health hazards of third hand smoke (nicotine residue on surfaces) might give us reason to conclude smokeless is near harmless.
Proponents of e-cigarettes claim that there is very little evidence of health hazards. It is true that e-cigarettes are relatively new; the research and legislation about the health consequences of smokeless nicotine is lagging. And as a result, unlike tobacco, minors can legally purchase e-cigarettes.
The local tobacco shops I spoke with said they do not sell to minors.
What is not in dispute is that the nicotine cartridges heated by the e-cigarette battery contain chemicals that are addictive, toxic and cargenogenic: diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans, and carcinogens, including nitrosamines.
Victor De Noble is the former Phillip-Morris scientist who “outed” the tobacco industry through his controversial 1983 study of the addictive impact of nicotine, which industry titans had claimed was not addictive.
When asked about what parents need to know about e-cigarettes, De Noble cautions that there is a popular belief that e-cigarettes are safe, but they are dangerous. “They contain carcinogenic chemicals and nicotine which lead to addiction and health risks,” said De Noble in a phone interview yesterday.
De Noble’s primary concern is that e-cigarettes involve both components of a harmful addiction, behavioral (hand and mouth) and chemical (nicotine and carcinogens), which ultimately leads to addiction and health risks.
Parent Resources:
Related articles:
- Here's the thing about hookah
- FDA ban lifted for e-cigarettes: What signal does this give children?
- Searching for anecdotal evidence of e-cigarette use among youth ih Sacramento region
Comments
gordon bennett! how many times do you journalists need to be told to research properly instead of blindly following any old study from some so called recognised body. tobbacco is the danger - not nicotine. As for the "third hand smoke" story that you quote, nicotine is only dangerous in its pure form or at very lowly diluted levels. Nicotine without tobbacco is harmless - it is simply addictive. And as for your diethylene glycol story. you might as well have said - oh look at me arent I clever, I looked at the fda report that condemned e-cigs based on their findings of a few rogue companies without bothering to check that not all the companies involved were found to contain carcinogens, and even if they did have a handful of these - are they not better for you then than 4000+ of these? Please if you are going to do this job, do it correctly and fairly. PS, there are different types of PROPYLENE GLYCOL (the one in most e-cigs) not diethylene glycol, look up the two on a periodic table - they are not the same.
and another thing, they are not sold to minors, all of the retailers state over 18's only
e-cigarettes are safer and healthier than traditional cigarettes, DUH! No combustion, NO carcinogens, No stink, No 2nd hand smoke, ect ect!!!
And of course there not sold to minors, WTF dont make me slap you like a redheaded FDA drone!
These witch trials are horrible. Do some research before you report on stories like these. Buy good American made e-liquid and you don't get these harmful chemicals. Way to stoke the fires against PV's when they are clearly helping tons of people get off dangerous tobacco cigarettes. Myself included.
I only buy my e-liquid from American suppliers and also make my own e-liquid. It DOES NOT contain diethylene glycol. It contains propylene glycol which is something entirely different and classified by the FDA as "generally safe for consumption." Victor De Noble is simply an alarmist and propagandist spreading his lies in order to stir up a hornets nest about things he clearly hasn't researched.
Yet another example of mindless, shoddy journalism and unfounded scare tactics meant to frighten the masses and ride another wave of "we have to protect the children!". All studies done on the e-cigarette show them to be 10-100 times safer than burning tobacco. The much touted "carcinogenic chemicals" were found in minute trace amounts early on in ONE manufactures cartridges. This has long ago been corrected. In addition, I know of no e-cigarette user who thinks minors should have access to these devices nor should they be used by non-smokers.
Perhaps for her next piece of journalism MS. Jullien might consider doing a little research before offering opinions on subject matters she clearly knows nothing about.
idiots they do not use diethlyn glycol!!!! diethlyn glycol was banned in the use of antifreeze in the 90's, the proponet used is propylene glycol which you drink and eat everyday!!!
milk products ,soda, anything that pretty much is chilled before packaging..... some people need to go back and dig a little deeper, this person obviously did not look at the ingredients on the packaging.
the FRIGGING FDA APPROVED IT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION!!!! its food grade propalyne glycol.
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