The Controversy Over E Cigarettes Rages On
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The Controversy Over E Cigarettes Rages On
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Now and then, a new product will come along that has the potential to change the current situation for the better, but there could always be a person or a group of persons who think that it might have a negative impact. The latest product that is being picked on by the public, some health organizations, and other groups is the electronic cigarette, a product that many believe could be the product that smokers need to help quit their smoking addiction.
The e cigarette emulates the smoking experience down to the tee, except without the ashes, burning, smoke, and lighters. Both require a user to draw on one end of the stick to take puffs, inhale, and exhale. But that is where the similarities end. The e cigarette does not contain additives and other ingredients that when burned become carcinogenic. The smoke-like cloud one sees emitting from the device and the user is actually condensation, a vapor that is produced as a result of heating up a fluid that can or cannot contain various strengths of nicotine.
So far, those who have a desire to quit smoking have found comfort in the product, and reports are already streaming in about the benefits. They have either quit smoking the real thing altogether or reduced the amount of times they smoke the real thing in a day. It seems that things are going good for the e cigarette… or not.
It seems that special interest groups and even the FDA are intent on finding any flaw in the device, and they started with the liquid solution. Their laboratory studies found that the cartridges they tested contained nitrosamines and diethylene glycol. The news spread fast, and naysayers were quick to jump on the fear and propaganda bandwagon. What the FDA failed to mention was that they only found those in a couple of the cartridges they tested, and even then, the amount was very insignificant. In fact, those same chemicals can be found in tobacco cigarettes, but at significantly higher concentrations.
Again, naysayers were quick to point out just how flawed the device was, but they fail to see that the e cigarette is not a completely healthy thing. It is only a smoking alternative and is comparatively much healthier and much safer than a regular cigarette. Any company that distributes these to the public and boasts that they are 100% safe is doing so at their own risk and is, quite frankly, asking for a lawsuit. It is a smoking alternative, and its safety is yet to be determined. However, the food grade ingredients, such as propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, typically found in the liquid cartridges might have a thing or two to say about these additives being found in other food products. If the e cigarette is banned, then so should other products with these ingredients.
The FDA has officially banned all flavors of e liquid except for tobacco and menthol, claiming that other flavors will only entice children and teenagers to take on smoking. If e cigarette flavors are banned, then so should cough syrup, medicine, and other things that have fruity flavors added to them.
The hypocrisy of the FDA’s actions has only fueled the fire in the e cigarette community and those who support the e cigarette. Only time and legislation, however, will tell whether or not the e cigarette will be pulled off of the shelves for good.
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