A survey published this week by JF Etter suggests that electronic cigarettes help smokers to quit, yet the US Food and Drug Administration continues to say they may be dangerous, even with evidence to the contrary.
Online PR News – 04-May-2010 – A survey published this week by JF Etter (Institute of Social and Preventative Medicine, University of Geneva) suggests that electronic cigarettes help smokers to quit.
“. . . condemned electronic cigarettes for containing cancer-causing nitrosamines. However, the levels in FDA-approved nicotine gum and patch are similar, and in cigarettes, much higher (up to 5000 times higher).”
The results come as no surprise to the people who use the device.
“We are thrilled to have yet another survey confirming what thousands of our members already know: Electronic cigarettes really do help people quit smoking," says Spike Babaian, president of the National Vapers Club, a consumer advocacy group for people who use e-cigarettes. “Our membership grows every day, and we never tire of hearing how successful people have been at making the switch from deadly traditional cigarettes to electronic cigarettes.”
Electronic cigarettes are battery-operated devices that allow people to simulate smoking without producing any real smoke. The devices vaporize the same ingredient used in artifical fog machines and, when puffed, deliver a small amount of nicotine along with the vapor.
The newly published survey says that from a public health perspective, "the question is whether—at a population level—the potential benefits of the e-cigarette outweigh its drawbacks. If e-cigarettes are more effective than current NRTs, but are withdrawn from the market until approved as smoking cessation aids, e-cigarette users might revert to smoking tobacco, which is more hazardous than e-cigarettes. This could have a significant, negative impact on public health, because it can take several years to obtain legal approval for a new drug delivery system.”
According to the American Association of Public Health Physicians (AAPHP), “Experience suggests that e-cigarettes may be more acceptable to smokers than the currently available pharmaceutical alternatives. A smoker can secure almost all the health benefits of quitting if he or she transitions to an e-cigarette.” (AAPHP - http://www.AAPHP.org).
The AAPHP's official recommendations to public health policy makers states: “E-cigarettes can and should be marketed as a substitute for conventional cigarettes for smokers unable or unwilling to quit. State legislatures and, hopefully, the FDA should see them in this light and regulate their marketing to reflect this purpose.”
Etter noted in his survey that more studies are needed on electronic cigarettes. The Food and Drug Administration issued a press release in July of 2009 suggesting that the inhaled vapor from the electronic cigarette contained carcinogens and toxic chemicals. Many studies completed since have shown otherwise.
Dr. Murray Laugesen, of Health New Zealand, had harsh criticism for the FDA's press release, saying the agency had ". . . condemned electronic cigarettes for containing cancer-causing nitrosamines. However, the levels in FDA-approved nicotine gum and patch are similar, and in cigarettes, much higher (up to 5000 times higher).”
Babaian says, “National Vapers Club supports any additional surveys and studies that teach us more about electronic cigarettes and how they are used. We already have substantial anecdotal evidence that these devices help people quit smoking, and having scientific confirmation of that is fantastic news."
