October 21, 2009 Comments Off
Cigarette substitute produces no deadly smoke
By Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan | Thursday, August 6, 2009
At a time when the government is ostensibly trying to cut health costs, why is it trying to ban something that might help people quit smoking tobacco, perhaps the most devastating health problem in the U.S.?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a press conference late last month to scare Americans about the so-called “e-cigarette” — claiming it was loaded with harmful “toxins” and “carcinogens.” The agency was implicitly saying: Stay away from these newfangled, untested cigarette substitutes — better to stick with the real ones, the ones that we are more familiar with, the ones that cause over 450,000 deaths annually in the U.S.
In making its distorted, incomplete and misleading statement, FDA was violating its long-cherished tradition of sticking to sound science as the basis for its policies. And in doing so, it is putting the lives and health of millions of Americans at risk.
Read the full article at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/06/fda-smoke-screen-on-e-cigarettes/
“The message that is being sent by the FDA to those who cannot stop smoking, or who do not wish to stop smoking, is that it is better to keep smoking tobacco, which kills more than 400,000 people in the US per year, is the leading cause of preventable death in our country and results in more death than AIDS, drugs, homicides, fires and auto accidents combined,” said Matt Salmon, former US Congressman and President of the ECA. “It is time to stop misinformation, to put the needs of consumers ahead of special interests, to put public health ahead of stifling process, and to embrace the first true innovation in a centuries-old space.”
Matt Salmon
Please visit the ECA website here for additional and important information that affects you!
Thank You.
October 21, 2009 Comments Off
APRIL 29, 2009
FDA & HHS Sued Over Electronic Cigarette “Embargo”
Click Here For Case File
A Florida company that imports and distributes so-called electric cigarettes has filed suit yesterday against the Food and Drug Administration, claiming the agency is illegally blocking imports of its product into the United States.
The suit, filed by Smoking Everywhere in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that the FDA has overstepped its regulatory authority by banning shipments of the devices and insisting they need to go through the drug approval process.
Electronic cigarettes — often marketed as “e-cigarettes” — are a tobacco-free version of traditional smokes. Users inhale vaporized nicotine from a small, plastic tube that heats up with the help of a tiny battery. The whole contraption is designed to look and feel like a normal cigarette, minus the flame and smoke, and their makers market them as a risk-free way to get a nicotine buzz.
Smoking Everywhere’s lawyers from Thompson Hine point out that in 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that the FDA did not have the power to regulate ordinary cigarettes. Therefore, it shouldn’t be allowed to clamp down on their high tech counterparts, the lawyers argue.
“There are a series of laws and regulations pertaining to the advertising and distribution of regular cigarettes that we believe are more appropriate for this particular product, and those laws and regulations are largely administered by the Federal Trade Commission,” says Walt Linscott, an Atlanta-based partner at Thompson Hine.
Congress is currently considering the Family Smoking Prevention and Control Act, which would give the FDA explicit power to regulate cigarettes. Linscott notes that the law would probably give it the right to oversee e-cigarettes as well.
The case is being heard by Judge Richard Leon. The FDA did not return requests for comment.
October 21, 2009 Comments Off
Responding to an LA Times Article….
Congratulations to Bill Godshall and to Dave Sweanor for being willing to publicly put the protection of the health of smokers above the knee-jerk, ideological opposition to a smoking device that we have unfortunately seen far too much within the tobacco control movement. Congratulations to Bill also for his efforts to persuade the FDA to allow e-cigarettes to be legally sold in the United States.
This is an important effort that could result in saving countless lives.
I find it interesting and quite informative that while anti-smoking groups are promoting nicotine replacement therapy via pharmaceutical products – which have dismal efficacy – they are seeking a ban on nicotine replacement therapy via e-cigarettes, which appear to actually be reasonably effective.
What is informative about the inconsistent treatment of these different products by the anti-smoking groups is that there does not seem to be a primary concern for the public’s health. Instead, the primary concern appears to be either for the financial well-being of the pharmaceutical companies or for the ideological notion that the act of using a cigarette-like device is to be scorned.
It is absurd to argue that e-cigarettes must be banned because they have not been sufficiently tested for safety. Regular cigarettes have been sufficiently tested for safety and they have been found to be unsafe. But they are still on the market. So why all the concern about testing e-cigarettes for safety? Since they deliver nicotine but not the tar, we know that they are going to be safer than conventional cigarettes. I maintain that it isn’t truly safety and health concerns that are leading the anti-smoking groups to call on an e-cigarette ban. I think it is a combination of the financial influence of the pharmaceutical companies on tobacco control and the ideological resistance to the idea that any act of smoking could be tolerated.
- Name: Michael Siegel
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts
I am a physician who specialized in preventive medicine and public health. I am now a professor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, Boston University School of Public Health. I have 20 years of experience in tobacco control, primarily as a researcher. My areas of research interest include the health effects of secondhand smoke, policy aspects of regulating smoking in public places, effects of cigarette marketing on youth smoking behavior, and the evaluation of tobacco control program and policy interventions.
October 21, 2009 Comments Off
Electronic Cigarettes Could Save Hundreds of Thousands of Lives, Says Expert
Electronic Cigarettes probably carry less than one percent of the risk of regular cigarettes and they could carry as little as one tenth of one percent of the risk of smoking. Yet despite their potential to save almost 400,000 lives a year the devices are likely to be banned by a tobacco bill being pushed through the Senate by Philip Morris.
This was the view of one expert we interviewed on the safety of the electric cigarette, Dr Joel Nitzkin, Chair of the Tobacco Control Task Force for the American Association of Public Health Physicians and a prominent tobacco harm reduction spokesman.
Dr Nitzkin did agree there was a need for improved quality control of the devices, which are manufactured in China.
However, he also stated that even in the worst case scenario of the e-cigarettes carrying one percent of the risks of regular cigarettes the device has a huge potential to save lives.
Dr Nitzkin estimated that if every smoker in the US smoked electric cigarettes the resulting death toll would be between 400 and 4000 a year.
The compares to the 400,000 estimated deaths caused by smoking regular cigarettes.
When we asked why a tobacco bill sponsored by America’s largest tobacco company and which removed safe alternatives while endorsing regular cigarettes was likely to be passed, Dr Nitzkin explained that inaccurate and misleading information was being used to promote the bill:
“This piece of legislation has been sold to health organisations to endorse and to congressmen here in the United States to sponsor using a summary in the description of the bill which is extremely inaccurate and which does not reflect the actual impact the bill will have if passed.”
October 19, 2009 Comments Off
You may feel like you’re on a rollercoaster during the first couple of weeks after you quit smoking. You’ll have good days and you’ll have bad days. Whether you use a quit smoking aid of some sort or go cold turkey, you’re going to feel a certain amount of withdrawal from nicotine.
Some people have more trouble with the first week, and others with the second, but the good news is that for most quitters, the worst of physical withdrawal from nicotine is over within the first month of smoking cessation.
Related:
Photo © Stockxpert</
12 Tips to Help You Quit Smoking Successfully originally appeared on About.com Smoking Cessation on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 22:37:42.
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October 19, 2009 Comments Off
How Smoking Affects Your Chances of Pregnancy
From About.com Guide to Fertility, Rachel Gurevich:
“It’s no secret that smoking is detrimental to your health; so it’s probably no surprise that smoking can affect your fertility. Smoking has been linked to an increased risk for many cancers, heart disease, emphysema, and a number of other health problems. The toxins contained in cigarettes take their toll not only on your lungs, but on your entire body’s health, including your reproductive system.”
Related:
Female Fertility and Smoking originally appeared on About.com Smoking Cessation on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 21:53:38.
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October 19, 2009 Comments Off
What is Different About Lung Cancer in Women?
From About.com Guide to Lung Cancer, Lynne Eldridge:
“Lung cancer in women differs from lung cancer in men in many ways. Yet, despite obvious differences in our appearance, we tend to lump men and women together when talking about lung cancer. This is unfortunate, since the causes, response to various treatments, survival rate, and even symptoms to watch for differ. What are some facts about lung cancer in women?”
Related:
Lung Cancer in Women originally appeared on About.com Smoking Cessation on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 21:26:39.
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Myth: Electronic cigarettes are being sold to kids.
Fact: Electronic cigarettes are intended for committed smokers of the legal age to smoke.
The industry advocates proper labeling, encourages retailers to check identification of customers and notes that electric cigarette companies in good standing validate age prior to transacting online purchases. In a recent industry study that included a random sample of US electric cigarette customers, the average respondent’s age was 44 years old. Further, with an average product price of about $100, it can hardly be called kid-friendly.
Myth: Electronic cigarette cartridges offer many flavors in order to attract adolescent users.
Fact: Many adult-intended products offer a variety of flavors.
The preference for flavor is universal and not age-specific. Products of all types offer colors, flavors and other variations in order to appeal to consumers. To suggest that the cartridge flavors for electric cigarettes were devised to appeal to kids is patently false and has no basis in fact, and is the same thing as suggesting nicotine-infused smoking cessation gums are available in mint and cinnamon flavors in order to appeal to kids. Electronic cigarettes sold by companies in good standing are for committed smokers of the legal age to smoke.
Myth: Electronic cigarettes make nicotine readily available to non-smokers.
Fact: Electronic cigarettes are marketed to current smokers, not non-smokers.
Nicotine is widely available in over-the-counter products including tobacco cigarettes and smoking cessation gums and lozenges, and there is no evidence that these products or electric cigarettes increase the consumption of nicotine by those who do not wish to smoke. In a recent industry study that included a random sample of US electric cigarette customers, 96% were smokers purchasing the product for personal use, and 4% purchased the product for a friend or relative who smoked.
Myth: No one knows what is in electric cigarettes.
Fact: Multiple studies have been conducted and the ingredients are well known.
Multiple studies by different laboratories around the globe have been conducted identifying that the vapor that is ingested when using an electric cigarette, depending on the manufacturer, contains approximately 20 ingredients including nicotine, all regarded as generally safe for human consumption when ingested prudently and in accordance with proper labeling. By contrast tobacco smoke contains 4,000 ingredients including arsenic and carbon monoxide, and dozens of cancer-causing ingredients.
Myth: Electronic cigarettes cannot be legally marketed in the US.
Fact: The FDA has not issued any formal guidance on electronic cigarettes.
While it is true that some manufacturers have had the importation of their products stopped, it is also true that the FDA has only provided informal comments about electric cigarettes through its spokespeople and has not issued any formal guidance on the topic. FDA currently only has jurisdiction to regulate drugs and medical devices, and electric cigarettes are neither.
Myth: You can stop people from smoking.
Fact: Tobacco smoking increased in the US in 2008 for the first time since 1965.
After a 30-year decline in tobacco smoking in the U.S., the percentage of US adults who smoke tobacco increased in 2008 and for the first time since 1965; this despite decades of gallant legislative and educational efforts, and the multi-billion dollar smoking cessation market. It is clear that some people will choose to smoke, and that further improvement in public health requires the acceptance of this reality and the full embrace of innovative new products that are ever-less hazardous than tobacco cigarettes and ever-more effective than abstinence.
Myth: Nicotine is bad for you.
Fact: The long-term use of nicotine is orders of magnitude safer than tobacco smoking.
Nicotine suffers from guilt-by-association with tobacco. The carcinogenic properties of nicotine in a standalone form, separated from tobacco smoke, indicate that nicotine, on its own, does not promote the development of cancer in healthy tissue and has no mutagenic properties. Further, the Royal College of Physicians says that there are no grounds to suspect appreciable long-term adverse effects on health from the long-term use of nicotine. Electronic cigarette companies in good standing and with proper labeling do advise consumers on who the product is intended for and who should not use the product, as well as the addictive qualities of nicotine.”
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