Common Sense Truth about Electronic Cigarettes

Aug. 10, 2009 - PRLog -- The Food and Drug Administration, under it’s new head, was put in charge by a congress and president bent on getting people to quit smoking and protect our children from starting. Under the new law:

FDA will mandate low risk cigarettes, with lower nicotine
Cigarettes will become FDA approved products

All flavors, such as cherry, vanilla, and clove are banned, WITH THE EXCEPTION of Menthol.

Why?

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Who are the bill’s chief backers? Tobacco Free Kids and Phillip Morris, which as anyone who knows the tobacco industry, are the #1 tobacco company, makers of Marlboro, and the biggest makers of menthol cigarettes. PM actually worked with lawmakers on most of this bill.

So, what’s so bad about this law? Let’s count the ways.

1. “Low risk” cigarettes- As any person with half a brain, let alone those who are actual MDs can attest, nicotine on it’s own is relatively benign, on near the same level as caffeine. It’s the burning materials in tobacco that cause the problems. You could remove all nicotine, or even make lettuce cigarettes, but you’ll find that these cause the SAME ISSUES as tobacco.
Being Low Risk will entail removing more nicotine, causing the smokers to inhale deeper, hold the smoke longer, and smoke more frequently. This will increase the incidents of smoker illnesses, not decrease.

2. Removal of “kid friendly” flavors- Oh, gee, because someone turns 18 they suddenly cannot stand the taste of chocolate, strawberries, licorice, cloves, or anything other than ass flavored? Well, while you protect the children, better get rid of Root Beer Schnaps, Peach vodka, Fruit flavored wine coolers, oh and wine that’s made from GRAPES.

Yet this is the same FDA that approved cherry and cinnamon flavored nicotine “lozenges” which are hard candies infused with nicotine. Never mind these lozenges are sold over the counter, and by law a store has to sell them regardless of age, and are forbidden to tell the parents. Never mind the 14 year old who was given a month’s worth of nicotine gum in minty flavor, who proceeded to pass it around and cause a classmate to administer a week’s worth of this, nearly killing himself with a massive overdose. This gum and lozenge are not kid friendly, while the vanilla dreams, izmar stingers, and Djarum Blacks are kid friendly.

3. Under FDA approval, we’ll get the cigarettes safe- BULL****! As long as you ignite a combustible product and inhale it, you will have most of the same things as regular tobacco causing issues. All this will do is cause people to look at their new FDA approved cigarettes, and think it’s just fine to smoke, INCREASING the smoking rate.

However, a product that has been around for several years has been gaining ground. It’s called the electronic cigarette. I use one myself, and have found while i am getting my nicotine fix, I breathe better, smell things better, taste more, and have more energy. I also can vape away everywhere, as it contains these items:
FDA approved Propelyne Glycol-found in KY jelly, hand sanitizers, lotions, food products, inhaled medicines, foods, sno cones, and even fog machines. It produces a smoke-like vapor, but has no taste or smell.

FDA Approved glycerin- found in lotions, food products, inhaled medicines, and fog machines. It’s used in place of Propelyne Glycol for those who are sensitive to it. It is slightly sweet tasting, and at most leaves a little sweet smell in the air, like being around cotton candy. It also produces a thick vapor.

FDA Approved food flavorings- Lorannes flavoring, as well as other flavors, have to be FDA approved to the market, and while most are kept secret due to proprietary formulas, have to be non toxic and safe for human consumption.

FDA Approved nicotine- In it’s 100% pure form, it is toxic, but when diluted to around 40mg/ml and lower, is considered safe. Now, I would not drink this mix, as it will make you sick as a dog.

However, the FDA issued a press release stating they had concerns and wished to move to ban these products. Not that these products are banned, not any official policy about these items. Just that they were concerned.

The tests? They took 2 “popular” brands of electronic cigarettes, the Smoking Everywhere and the Njoy brands, and studied 18 cartridges. The results were:

One (1) cartridge from Smoking Everywhere contained 0.1% Diethelyne Glycol, a substance that can be toxic in larger doses. FDA allows 0.2% DEG in solutions of Propylene Glycol for human consumption. While this is concerning, DEG is also found in tobacco, as a curing and humectant. Where was the DG in the rest of them?

Nitrosamines, the chemicals that can cause cancer, was detected in half the samples. However, the study only released if they detected it, not how much there was. In a study in New Zealand, they tested not only the electronic cigarette, but Nicotine Replacement Therapies. They found that the nicotine held trace levels of nitrosaimines, not enough to be mutagenic in humans, and likely from the extraction of nicotine. The nitrosaimines in E-cigs were found to be comparable to what was in the inhaler and the patch.

Nicotine was found in trace amounts in cartridges labeled as no nicotine- This could be anything from using the same atomizer between tests, to sloppy quality control at the factory.

The Tests done at health New Zealand showed that the electronic cigarettes were about as safe as Nicotine Replacement therapies, and much lower risk than tobacco. However, which one does the FDA issue concerns over?
Electronic cigarettes.

Why do I bring it up here? This is a beach head here folks. This is the same FDA that demands General Mills gets a new drug application for Cheerios, as it claims “As part of a balanced diet, can lower cholesterol by 4%", a claim made by the company 12 years ago and BASED ON AN FDA STUDY!

This is the same FDA going after Frosted Mini Wheats that claims “This cereal, as part of a balanced breakfast, may increase a child’s attentiveness in school by up to 20%". Scientifically proven, but the FDA wants them to get tested as a new drug.

This is the same FDA that has recently issued warnings or recalls on the following drugs it classified as safe for human use in the united States: Xolair, Darvon, Darvocet, Chantrix, Zyban, Various ADHD medications, Singulair, Acculate, Zyflo, Zyflo CR, Medatronic Sigma Pacemakers, Medatronic Kappa Pacemakers, propylthiouracil, Androgel 1%, Testim 1%, Myobloc, Dysport, Botox cosmetic, Acetaminophen (tylenol), Raptiva, All drugs from KV Pharmaceuticles, All generic drugs by Ranbaxy Labratories, Healon D, type 2 Diabetes medications (various), Antiepilieptic medications, Visicol, Osmoprep, Bayer Asprin, Humira, Cimzia, Enbrel, Remicade. Most of these medications were given warnings, and some were recalled. (source FDA.gov)

If we don’t step up on something that matters not so much, then it won’t be long before we have them knocking on the door to take away our guns because “The FDA determined they have a hazardous amount of lead in them”

It has only just begun.