If you are considering gifting an electronic nicotine delivery device— also known as electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes—this holiday season, there are some things you ought to know before making that all-important purchase. They may not be as safe as you think.
Researchers at the University of California-Riverside evaluated five e-cigarette brands (NJOY, Liberty Stix, Crown Seven (Hydro), Smoke Everywhere (Gold and Platinum) and VapCigs) and found design flaws, lack of adequate labeling, and several quality control and health concerns.
In the study, published in the December 2010 issues of Tobacco Control they concluded e-cigarettes are potentially harmful and urged regulators to consider removing the devices from the market until their safety is adequately evaluated.
E-cigarettes began being marketed in 2008 as a quit-smoking device. Recent U.S. federal and state regulation banning cigarettes from being smoked in some public places and the increased taxes levied on cigarette purchases created a new niche market for e-cigarette manufacturers in the U.S. Globally, e-cigarette sales are climbing with the number of cancer cases in emerging and developing countries.
The electronic devices are popular among people who want the luxury to smoke anywhere. Unlike conventional cigarettes, which burn tobacco, e-cigarettes don’t produce secondhand smoke. Instead vaporized nicotine and other compounds inside the cartridge create an aerosol when heated by the unit, but do not produce the thousands of chemicals and toxins created by tobacco combustion.
As a result, some people believe that e-cigarettes are a safe substitute for conventional cigarettes. However, there are virtually no scientific studies on e-cigarettes and their alleged safety.
Prue Talbot, the director of UC Riverside's Stem Cell Center, said in a statement released by the university, “Our study – one of the first studies to evaluate e-cigarettes – shows that this product has many flaws, which could cause serious public health problems in the future if the flaws go uncorrected.”
Aside from nicotine, little is known about the chemicals present in the aerosolized vapors emanating from e-cigarettes. The device manufacturers, mainly in China, have declined to divulge the cartridge ingredients citing trade secrecy.
In 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples found that they contained carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze. The devices are readily sold online and in shopping malls in some states and can take several forms, from looking like a traditional cigarette or pipe to everyday items such as pens and USB memory sticks, for people who wish to use the product without being detected.
Talbot, a professor of cell biology and neuroscience, and Anna Trtchounian, the study’s first author, examined the device’s design, accuracy and clarity of labeling, nicotine content, leakiness, defective parts, disposal, errors in filling orders, instruction manual quality and advertising.
The researchers found leaking cartridges are common, which, they say, could unnecessarily expose children, pets and the environment to nicotine, a highly-addictive and dangerous chemical.
“There are currently no methods for proper disposal of e-cigarette products and accessories, including cartridges, which could result in nicotine contamination entering public water sources and the soil,” according to the study. Funding for the study came from the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (UC TRDRP).
“Contrary to the claims of the manufacturers and marketers of e-cigarettes being 'safe,' in fact, virtually nothing is known about the toxicity of the vapors generated by these e-cigarettes. Until we know any thing about the potential health risks of the toxins generated upon heating the nicotine-containing content of the e-cigarette cartridges, the 'safety' claims of the manufacturers are dubious at best” said Kamlesh Asotra, a research administrator at UC TRDRP.
Free help is available to all smokers who want to quit at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or by visiting www.smokefree.gov. More information about e-cigarettes is available at the FDA’s Electronic Cigarette web page. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm172906.htm
Lynette Summerill is an award-winning writer who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition to writing about cancer-related issues for EmpowHer, she pens Nonsmoking Nation, a blog following global tobacco news and events.