Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Where there’s smoke, there isn’t always fire.
So don’t be confused when someone drags off a cigarette without ever lighting up.
It’s probably just another smoker gone digital, using an E-cig, or electronic cigarette, which was developed in April 2003.
Though it looks just like a real cigarette, it uses a small battery and atomizer, the heating element, to turn a liquid form of nicotine into a smoke-like vapor that neither smells nor produces tar, and can be legally smoked wherever traditional cigarettes are banned, for now.
“You might get some glances from people at first, but with no smell most people don’t notice,” Joe McDonough, a junior from Wichita, said.
McDonough started using E-cigs last year, and although he still smokes tobacco, McDonough said the device would be a great way for smokers wanting to be healthier.
“There are certain times I’ll choose to use it instead of smoking a normal cigarette, like when you have a cold or something,” he said. “You could smoke this and go on a run later without having that chalky feeling in your lungs.”
Although a number of startup companies have emerged online in the last year with new models of E-cigs, the FDA has yet to approve them for the market. Some countries, such as Canada, have already banned the sale of E-cigs, and various US states are considering restricting their use in various forms.
So though companies such as Smoking Everywhere, a leader in E-cigs, advertise their products as being healthier, cheaper and more eco-friendly than traditional cigarettes, some see them as not helping the problem.
“All this is going to do is give people the opportunity to get nicotine in areas that they can’t use cigarettes,” Ken Saber, a health coordinator at Watkins Memorial Health Center who councils students trying to quit, said. “There is still a lot unknown about them, but I would never recommend this as a quit product.”
Because companies are not allowed to advertise E-cigs as smoke cessation devices, some find their target audience to be young non-smokers, who may be lured in by the assortment of flavors and limited negative health effects.
“It’s a good deal when you buy one of their start packs because they basically give you all the different flavors to try out,” Christopher Reynolds, a senior from Topeka, said.
The flavoring is mixed into the liquid nicotine cartridge, which the user can replace or refill with their own “e-liquid.” The “e-liquid” is mainly propylene glycol, a substance used in products such as food coloring, non-toxic antifreeze, or most commonly, fog machines.
Although Reynolds and McDonough said they would continue smoking traditional cigarettes for now, both agreed that they would use E-cigs in the future to help them quit or to avoid the stigma of smoking in public.
“I’d do it before I went on the patch or something like that,” McDonough said. “It helps fulfill a lot of the pleasures of smoking without bugging the people around you.”
— Edited by Drew Anderson
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Comments
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
"Because companies are not allowed to advertise E-cigs as smoke cessation devices, some find their target audience to be young non-smokers, who may be lured in by the assortment of flavors and limited negative health effects."
Why would young smokers be the exclusive group that may be lured in by limited negative health effects? I mean wouldn't EVERYBODY THAT SMOKES be lured in by a limited negative health effects? I'm 57 years old and I use electronic cigarettes because the thing isn't killing me. I get my nicotine, I'm satisfied, and I am living and breathing another day.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
“All this is going to do is give people the opportunity to get nicotine in areas that they can’t use cigarettes”
So? What's wrong with that? I thought the problem was second hand smoke, not nicotine use. Why should I be denied the right to use nicotine (a legal substance) in a form that does no harm to bystanders?
"some find their target audience to be young non-smokers, who may be lured in by the assortment of flavors"
There is absolutely ZERO proof of this. People keep saying this with no facts to back up this argument. It is propaganda pure and simple. Want proof? Look at the new Camel Orbs and the new Nicorette Mini Lozenges. Almost identical products, but the Orbs are being singled out as a huge risk to children, while the lozenges are not. Why? Because one is a smoking alternative made by Big Tobacco and the other is a quit smoking aid made by Big Pharma.
The anti smoking groups don't want smokers to have a safer choice. In their minds it is either quit smoking or die. If I use an electronic cigarette, which affects no one but myself, why should these groups care? There is a lot more going on here than concern for our health.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
BlueSolstice: You compare Camel Orbs and Nicorette Mini Lozenges. I've not seen them, though I'll take your word for it that the actual products appear basically identical. Can you claim that the advertising campaigns, packaging, and availability are also similar? When I see the Nicorette Mini Lozenges advertised in the same magazines and websites as Camel Orbs, with marketing aimed at the same demographics, packaged similarly, and placed on the same shelves in the same retail outlets, I'll be happy to buy your logic.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
Anonyname, the lozenges are advertised on television, which we all know reaches a much larger (and younger) audience than magazines. The two products are very similar in shape, size, and packaging, and a simple google search shows that. The articles I've read that denounce the orbs all say the same thing: they look like breath mints, so kids will want them. The lozenges look much more like breath mints than the orbs, so shouldn't it stand to reason that they will also be attractive to children? Yet no one is saying a bad word about them. Why is that?
Regardless, this article is about e-cigs, not orbs and lozenges. I only brought them up to show the hypocrisy involved when it comes to smoking alternatives. You would think people would be supporting safer, healthier alternatives to smoking instead of denouncing them.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
I tried an E Cigarette on December 6, 2009 and have not smoked a single cigarette since; this after 40+ years of smoking. The warmer weather has arrived and I'm back to riding my bicycle. I can't believe the improvement in my lung capacity!
Of course there are special interest groups (BIG Tobacco, Pharmaceutical, Anti "Smoking" etc.) that are trying to ban E Cigarettes (not to mention lost tax revenues for state and federal governments); look what’s at stake for them: pride, control, and money!
What’s at stake for me is my life and some others seem to have no problem chasing me back to a known killer, tobacco!
Following the same line of reasoning that ban proponents tirelessly spew, toothpaste should be banned; it’s a poison (read the warnings) that comes in a variety of kid friendly flavors and packaging.
I’m getting tired of ill informed people spewing the same old junk science arguments (instigated by the same special interest groups) to ban E Cigarettes. Do some independent research and get a clue!
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
I smoke an electronic cigarette and since I began I feel way better. It doesn't have the tar, the carbon monoxide that drains your energy or the carcinogens that can cause cancer. To me, it's an obvious choice. I bought mine at www.mistycig.com although there are many types to choose from. I love mine, smoking tobacco is over for me. Cheers!
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
Wow! what a piece of.......propaganda that article was! If the author had done a minimal amount of research on the subject, ie. read a few posts in one of the many forums or maybe visit the website of the smoking cessation organization CASAA they could have come forward with a wealth of factual information. First off, Smoking Everywhere is a scam company with dubious business practices. There are hundreds of online companies who sell e-cigs and accessories that are very legitimate. Why pick one of the dozen that isn't? Second, The electronic cigarette forum that I frequent is populated with mostly middle aged people who have quit smoking using this modern miracle. I, for the life of me, can't figure out why anti smoking groups wouldn't be embracing this development for the amazing solution to cigarette addiction that it is. No supplier website that I've found is marketing to minors in any way and i've visited hundreds. They're also some of the most trustworthy merchants that I've ever dealt with. Third, statements like"some see them as not helping the problem." should be a red flag to thinking people in this" Fox News" era. You can put the phrase "Some people say", or "Some people think" in front of any BS point you want to make and I'm sure "somebody" said or thought it at some point in time. Some people thought that the world was flat and that epilepsy was demonic possession. The last point I want to make is this certain and solid fact. I smoked cigarettes for 40 years and haven't even wanted one since I picked up my first electronic cigarette. I've tried the nic. gum, hypnosis,welbutrin and cold turkey in the past. This is a kind of miracle and when people try to discredit thing that they know nothing about it kind of gets my hackles up. Oh, by the way, Propylene Glycol (one of the 3 ingredients in e-liquid) is also the carrier fluid in most injected medications, it's in ice cream, mouth wash, food coloring and thousands of food additives. Don't let the "chemically" name scare you. You all ingest this stuff every day.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
I bought a e-cig after 16 years of smoking started smoking when i was 14. Three days after getting my e-cig I have not had or wanted a cig for the last 5 months.. in that 5 months I have cut down my nicotine concentration gradually and use the e-cig a lot less than when i started using it, I am not probably only taking in 1/4th the nicotine I started out with. My breathing improved within a month of starting using the e-cig, I hardly ever cough now.. i wake up in the morning and do not hack up a bunch of tar.
Many complain about flavors and the kids.. I quit cigs why would I want to deal with the flavor of them.. more kids go to the hospital for overdose on the great tasting cough meds that are out for them..
as for getting away with smoking in non-smoking areas.. most e-cig users that I have talked to do not use them in areas that ban smoking unless they are given permission.. when I did smoke I always sat in non-smoking areas to eat ext..
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
Ken Saber needs to make a decision: Is it better for smokers to strive for the ideal of nicotine abstinence and fail, or is is better for them to strive for smoking abstinence and succeed? Users who switch to this smoke-free alternative are reporting the same type of health improvements seen by those who stop using all forms of nicotine. The FDA-approved nicotine products are only 10% successful in the long run. I see two reasons for this. 1) The nicotine doses are purposely kept to a fraction of the amount taken in by smoking. Due to the drop in nicotine, many users immediately begin having problems with depression, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and memory impairment. 2) The directions tell users to wean completely off the product after 12 weeks use. When the nicotine dosage drops again, this time to zero, the cognitive and mood impairments become unbearable and the user then relapses back to smoking. Electronic cigarette users may still be using nicotine, but they are no longer killing themselves with smoke. They are no longer endangering bystanders with second-hand smoke or the threat of starting fires. They are no longer polluting the environment.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
First of all the entire quote from Ken Sarber was suppose to be that he would not recommend this product as a stop smoking solution until it had been studied and approved by the FDA. If this product has helped people quit smoking then great as long as those individuals are not just addicted to another nicotine product that we find out later down the road has just as many carcinogens. College students are more addicted to the relationship that they develop with cigarettes than they are the nicotine in the product. So you tell me why would anyone use an addicting nicotine product to quit smoking instead becoming tobacco free with out using an addictive product that they will struggle putting down. I suggest you read what the FDA has said about this product before using it. Any product that contains a toxic chemical found in antifreeze along with other chemicals linked to causing cancer shouldn't be recommended to any for use. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm173222.htm
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
I in no way am trying to get this product banned. If it helps people quit smoking then great as long as they are not addicted to the e-cigarette instead. Replacing one nicotine habit with another and another and another is only going to return in that person using cigarettes again. All I want is more studies done on the health side effects that this product will cause. If this product is so great then take it to the FDA for approval.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
Nelson:
Perhaps you can become better informed on this topic if you would read the following link. It is about the American Lung Association trying to legislate this product out of existance, and DOCUMENTS the lies they and the FDA have told the american public about this product.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=114160901951327
I can really open your eyes to the backroom manuvering that is going on to protect Big Tobacco and Big Pharma...
You don't have to join the fight to get them to tell the truth, but you'll certainly see the truth for yourself. All the point you brought up are covered here and disproved with real science.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
hkholer, You are going after the wrong people. Ken Sarber and myself just want more research done before the e-cigarette is recommended to anyone as a stop smoking product. Once again how is giving up one nicotine product for another going to help that individual save money and cure their addiction. I just don't believe in trading one addiction for another. The same goes for any nicotine replacement product. Unless it provides you with a solid plan to quit it should not exist. These e-cigarette companies want you to try every flavor for a reason. To get you addicted. To each their own. If it helps people quit smoking then great, but hopefully they don't discover that this newly released product that has not been studied or approved by the FDA is causing just as many or more health problems.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
Why is the issue of nicotine addiction so much more important to you than the issues of cancer, or heart attacks, or lung disease? Nicotine does not cause these diseases. They are mainly caused by the products of combustion--tar, carbon monoxide, and particulates—plus the thousands of toxins and hundreds of carcinogens in tobacco smoke.
The FDA products are not effective for the majority of users. And the non-nicotine medications are far from safe. Quitting nicotine altogether triggers cognitive and emotional problems for a large number of smokers. That’s the main reason that 90% of users keep relapsing back to smoking. It's time to let us off this crazy and hurtful merry-go-round of yours. We don’t want or need nicotine abstinence. We want and need smoking abstinence. We have managed to achieve this by taking in adequate amounts of nicotine using a delivery mechanism that eliminates 99% of the harm. Think of it as NMT for Nicotine Maintenance Therapy.
I smoked for 45 years. I quit many times, but thought it was a strange coincidence that I got sick every time I did so. About 20 years ago, I achieved nicotine abstinence and persevered for six month--six of the longest, most miserable months of my life. Medication helped some, but the cognitive impairments persisted. The doctor told me there was nothing she could prescribe to help, and I finally resumed smoking.
I used to lie in bed at night, being kept awake by my wheezing. Every night I prayed that God would send me something that would allow me to stop smoking without being required to sacrifice my sanity. That prayer was answered last year. I began using an electronic cigarette on March 27, 2009 and have not smoked since.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
Nelson: Why do you care if I'm using nicotine and not bothering you? I don't jump all over you when you have a cup of coffee or a soda containing caffeine. Is it the simple act of putting something to my mouth and exhaling vapor that you dislike or is it my enjoyment of it? "Trading one addiction for another" got me off cigarettes and onto the e-cig. I'm feeling better and have more endurance, stamina and am not physically ill as I was the times I tried to quit with patches, gum, wellbrutrin and even hypnosis. I'll bet you use a vitamin supplement, a Starbucks, or even a Pepsi once in a while. None of these are FDA approved. Submit them right NOW for approval and you'll find they are not under the FDA's authority, just like the Hon. Judge Richard Leon ruled that e-cigs are not under the FDA's authority. Let me enjoy my e-cig in peace. I'm not hurting you.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
Nelson: You stated, "Any product that contains a toxic chemical found in antifreeze along with other chemicals linked to causing cancer shouldn't be recommended to any for use." There are some facts about the FDA's testing and press release that you don't know. Those chemicals linked to causing cancer? They are Tobacco-Specificic Nitrosamines (TSNAs) and I'll be you will be very surprised to learn that they are present in all of the FDA-approved nicotine replacement products. Furthermore, the FDA report failed to provide a quantative analysis of those TSNAs. That's because if they had told you that the largest quantity present in a day's supply of liquid is 8 nanograms, and you found out that the amount in a Nicoderm patch is 8 nanograms, it would have been obvious that this product is no more cancerous than the products FDA already approved. Calling DEG "a chemical used in antifreeze" is a textbook example of the propaganda technique "name calling." Had the FDA used language that more closely described the most logical explanation for the presence of DEG, they would have said "a chemical used as a humectant to keep tobacco moist." Yes, DEG can be poisonous, but first it needs to get into your body in toxic quantities. FDA did not find any DEG in the vapor. This is a link to "Technical Review and Analysis of the FDA Report: 'Evaluation of e-cigarettes'" http://www.casaa.org/files/Exponent%20Response-to-the-FDA-Summary.pdf And where was FDA's analysis of the chemicals in smoke? This is a link to the Health New Zealand page, "E-cigarettes: harmless inhaled or exhaled" in which Dr. Laugesen provides a comparison of e-cigarette vapor to the product we are substituting it for: tobacco cigarette smoke. http://www.healthnz.co.nz/ECigsExhaledSmoke.htm
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