FDA Considers Ways to Short-circuit Electronic Cigarettes
Posted by: tepc, in UncategorizedThe following article, written by Liz Szabo, appeared in USA Today. It is important to know that electronic cigarettes contain toxic chemicals and carcinogens. http://www.usatoday.com/_ads/interstitial/2008/page/interstitial_new.htm?http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-07-22-electroniccigarette_N.htm
“The Food and Drug Administration, recently granted the authority to regulate tobacco as a drug, is taking aim at electronic cigarettes — battery-powered cigarette look-alikes that deliver nicotine and produce a puff of odorless vapor. Tests show that e-cigarettes contain “known carcinogens and toxic chemicals,” including diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze, officials announced Wednesday during a teleconference. The FDA notes that the products have no warning labels.”
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July 23rd, 2009 at 11:46 am
It’s sickening that the FDA allows drugs like chantrix to be sold to stop smoking.It’s already proven itself to be a dangerous substance,people have become suicidal on that drug.
That same agency wants to stop me from harming myself accoriding to them by stopping my use of a personal fog machine mixed with nicotone,flavorings and propelene glycol.
If this gets taken away from me I’ll just go back to smoking regular cigarettes.
Surely with the 400 plus chemicals in those including MAOI inhibitors,arsenic and tar I’m not harming myself.
The FDA could care less about me,they just want more power to tell me what I can or can’t put in my body.
Regarding Diethylene Glycol:
Looking at the Health New Zealand study1, the presence of Diethylene Glycol was not tested for. They seem to have based their tests on manufacturer ingredient lists and known tobacco carcinogens.
So what is Diethylene Glycol? The MSDS2 shows that chronic exposure to Diethylene Glycol can cause lesions on the liver and kidneys, as well as damage to the same organs. In the case of inhalation, the only first aid recommended is removal from the source to fresh air. The toxicalogical information is as follows:
Quote:
Oral rat LD50: 12565 mg/kg. Skin rabbit LD50: 11.89 g/kg Irritation: eye rabbit, standard Draize: 50 mg mild. Investigated as a tumorigen and reproductive effector.
——–\Cancer Lists\——————————————————
—NTP Carcinogen—
Ingredient Known Anticipated IARC Category
———————————— —– ———– ————-
Diethylene Glycol (111-46-6) No No None
This shows that Diethylene Glycol is not a known carcinogen, nor is it expected to be found as one in the future. In addition, the dose required to kill half of the sample of rats tested is 12.565 g/kg and 11.89 g/kg for rabbits. Assuming this can be extended to humans, an average adult male would have to ingest 855.925 g to receive a lethal dose.
Is Diethylene Glycol the main ingredient in antifreeze? The EPA3 has this to say about antifreeze variations:
Quote:
Antifreeze typically contains ethylene glycol as its active ingredient, but some manufacturers market propylene glycol-based antifreeze, which is less toxic to humans and pets. The acute, or short-term, toxicity of propylene glycol, especially in humans, is substantially lower than that of ethylene glycol. Regardless of which active ingredient the spent antifreeze contains, heavy metals contaminate the antifreeze during service. When contaminated, particularly with lead, used antifreeze can be considered hazardous and should be reused, recycled, or disposed of properly.
Ethylene Glycol is the main ingredient in antifreeze. While straight antifreeze is toxic, the main hazard is from used antifreeze, which absorbs heavy metals.
What about Nitrosamines? Nitrosamines are carcinogens. Tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) are found in the liquid used by Ruyan in their cartridges. According to the Health New Zealand report1, the amount increases with the amount of nicotine, and the average is 3.928 Ng (or parts per billion [ppb]). The breakdown is as follows:
Quote:
Nitrosamines
0mg – 0.260 Ng (ppb)
6mg – 3.068 Ng
11mg – 4.200 Ng
16mg – 8.183 Ng
The highest amount found was in 16mg liquid, which had an average of 8.183 Ng. In comparison, Nicorette Gum (which is approved as an NRT) contains about 8 Ng. To put that number into perspective, Swedish moist snuff contains between 1000 and 2400 ppb nitrosamines, and unburned tobacco from cigarettes contains around 1230 ppb.
Study Links here
http://www.healthnz.co.nz/2ndSafetyReport_9Apr08.pdf
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/o8764.htm
http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/antifree.htm#alternate
August 2nd, 2009 at 5:15 pm
It is stuff like this that simply “grinds my gears”. It seems that the news agencies simply go and post whatever they hear. None of them actually do any research to see if the work they are spreading is the truth.
It is a big circle of ignorance that is harming the country as a whole. Everybody is in such a big hurry. If they took the time to do the research they would find that the FDA only found traces of carcinogens vs piles of carcinogens that are found in normal cigarettes. Not only that they would see that the FDA only found diethylene glycol in one of the 19 cartridges they tested and that there was less than 1% of it in that on isolated instance.
But not only that, diethylene glycol is not the main ingredient in antifreeze, ethylene glycol is.
August 4th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
One of the problems with electronic cigarettes is that there are no proven studies about its safety and what long-lasting effects they may have. Claims from merchants who sell them are not founded in sound clinical research. There may be far reaching problems. It is never a good idea to use a product that has not been studied more extensively.
The FDA is not the only group with concerns. Many health groups are concerned. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the following:
“The electronic cigarette is not a proven nicotine replacement therapy,” said Dr Ala Alwan, Assistant Director-General of WHO’s Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Cluster. “WHO has no scientific evidence to confirm the product’s safety and efficacy. Its marketers should immediately remove from their web sites and other informational materials any suggestion that WHO considers it to be a safe and effective smoking cessation aid.” “If the marketers of the electronic cigarette want to help smokers quit, then they need to conduct clinical studies and toxicity analyses and operate within the proper regulatory framework,” said Douglas Bettcher, Director a.i. of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative. “Until they do that, WHO cannot consider the electronic cigarette to be an appropriate nicotine replacement therapy, and it certainly cannot accept false suggestions that it has approved and endorsed the product. “
September 1st, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Cool site, love the info.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:24 am
People who haven’t smoked usually can’t understand why someone who wants to stop hasn’t done so and continues to spend considerable amounts of money on something that they no longer enjoy and would like to stop
September 11th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Hmmm….not sure I am following this FDA Considers Ways to Short-circuit Electronic Cigarettes thread very well.
September 13th, 2009 at 3:49 am
My Friend Asked me to Read your Post I Can Quit! » Blog Archive » FDA Considers Ways to Short-circuit Electronic Cigarettes on Sunday.Your post is Well written.Please Keep it up .I Love reading on merchants.
September 15th, 2009 at 5:44 am
hanks for sharing your blog with all of us, very imformative.
September 19th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Great site…keep up the good work.
I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks, 
A definite great read.. <a href="http://wiki.hudson-ci.org/display/~bill-bartmann"
-Bill-Bartmann
September 24th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
There’s good info here. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog. Keep up the good work mate!
September 29th, 2009 at 5:00 am
Hope everybody has (or had) a nice holiday.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Your site was extremely interesting, especially since I was searching for thoughts on this subject last Thursday.
October 7th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Generally I do not post on blogs, but I would like to say that this post really forced me to do so, Excellent post!
October 10th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I am 7 years clean of of drugs but I’m still hooked on the dang nicotine gum. Think its because its so easy to get. They really should ban it all together
October 12th, 2009 at 1:57 am
Just wanted to drop you a line to say, I enjoy reading your site. I thought about starting a blog myself but don’t have the time.
Oh well maybe one day….
October 12th, 2009 at 10:14 am
There are a number of resources you can check out to help you.
1. Indiana Tobacco Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (free nicotine replacement, counseling)
2. ALA’s Freedom from Smoking Online and http://www.quitnet.com that provides chat rooms
(ALA provides information, plus Freedom from Smoking online cessation).
3. ABC News Website http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/QuitToLive/
(Guide to cessation, plus quitline: 1-800-ACS-2345)
4. American Cancer SocietyWebsite http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Quitting_Smoking.asp
5. Nicotine Anonymous (a group meets weekly in Valparaiso) http://www.nicotine-anonymous.org/default.asp
6. Quitworks at http://www.quitworks.com
Online smoking cessation
7. Quitnet at http://www.quitnet.com
Online smoking cessation