Electronic Cigarettes

The article I chose for this week’s blog post is one that discusses non-cigarette forms of tobacco and their effects on the lungs.  For this post, I will specifically be focusing on electronic cigarettes.  In 2007, the electronic cigarette was introduced in the United States.  They were produced and marketed to offer smokers a tobacco free alternative.  Instead of tobacco, electronic cigarettes contain cartridges of liquid nicotine.  The battery powered cigarette devices heat up the liquid nicotine and produces a vapor, much like that of a weed vaporizer.  The idea is that the user is avoiding harmful smoke produced from burning tobacco; however, there have not been enough studies done on the product for health experts and regulatory agencies to be certain it is as safe as it seems.  The biggest controversy surrounding this matter seems to be the regulation.  While there are many companies in the United States distributing electronic cigarettes, they often do not make specific safety claims about their products.  They emphasize rather, the benefits of being an alternative to tobacco.  There is a concern that manufacturers may not be adequately disclosing all of the chemical ingredients in their products.  In addition, an electronic cigarette may contain as much as or more nicotine than a regular cigarette.  Nevertheless, the FDA regulates them as nicotine delivery devices, the same way they regulate normal tobacco-containing cigarettes.  Ultimately, I believe tighter regulations must be made for electronic cigarettes.  Until proper studies for long and short term use have been made, these devices should be deemed illegal.

http://link.springer.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs12016-013-8372-0.pdf