E-cigarettes are not as harmless as they pretend to be and
there is one secret about e-cigarettes that every e-cigarette user might want
to know --the three major U.S. companies behind e-cigarettes are tobacco companies.
E-cigarettes, short for electronic cigarettes, are also
known as personal vaporizer (PV), or electronic nicotine delivery system
(ENDS). Most electronic cigarettes include liquid, a cartridge, an atomizer,
and a power source.
Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are usually battery
powered devices that vaporize the nicotine-laced liquid solution into an
aerosol mist which simulates the act of tobacco smoking. Besides variable nicotine
concentrations, the liquid, which is measured in milligrams or milliliters
(mg/ml), can contain various tobacco, fruit, and other flavors.
According to a New Zealand Health
Information Sheet, e-cigarettes mimic “the smoking experience closely,
apparently providing nicotine absorption from the lungs within a few puffs.”
Many e-cigarette “smokers” believe that there are no carcinogens
and toxins in e-cigarettes. However, in addition to the most recent French
study, the FDA and the World Health Organization are warning about carcinogens
and other toxins in e-cigarettes.
In a 2009 consumer health brochure titled “FDA Warns of Health Risks Posed by
E-Cigarettes,” the FDA wrote that "also known as ‘e-cigarettes,’
electronic cigarettes are battery-operated devices designed to look like and to
be used in the same manner as conventional cigarettes. Sold online and in many
shopping malls, the devices generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine,
flavor, and other chemicals. They turn nicotine, which is highly addictive, and
other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user. 'The FDA is concerned
about the safety of these products and how they are marketed to the public',”
said Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., commissioner of food and drugs.
As of July 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that the safety of e-cigarettes “has not been
scientifically demonstrated.” According to the WHO report, scientific testing
of e-cigarettes has shown that “the products vary widely in the amount of
nicotine and other chemicals they deliver and there is no way for consumers to
find out what is actually delivered by the product they have purchased.”
And herein lies the problem.
Whether France, New Zealand, Greece, the FDA, or the WHO
reports about the harmfulness of e-cigarettes, none of the reports can
specifically say what makes them harmful. Stating that e-cigarettes contain
carcinogens and other toxins is for many e-cigarette users insufficient.
What might be interesting to explore is who is manufacturing
e-cigarettes and with what intent.
To put it simply, the sale of e-cigarettes is not designed
to improve someone’s health but to make money; at least from a business point
of view. If money cannot be made with cigarettes, why not sell e-cigarettes.
According to a 2009 Los Angeles Times report,
the first patent for an e-cigarette came from China in 2003 by a chemist named Hon
Lik, a Chinese pharmacist. By May of 2004, the e-cigarette was introduced to
the Chinese market and the company that Hon Lik worked for, Golden Dragon Holdings,
changed its name to Ruyan, meaning “like smoke.”
With the Ruyan e-cigarette, “on
drawback on the e-cigarette, nicotine is inhaled within a few breaths and
apparently gives a light headed effect within 20 seconds.” According to its
advertisement, “the Ruyan atomizer turns nicotine into carcinogen-free vapor.”
By 2007, the e-cigarette began to boom in the U.S. and was
originally led by hundreds of smaller companies but it didn’t take long for Big
Tobacco to notice. Unlike the patch or nicotine gums, e-cigarettes actually
made an impact on smokers switching from tobacco to e-cigarettes and tobacco
sales went down.
The nation's largest tobacco company, Marlboro-maker Altria
Group Inc., now sells an e-cigarette line named MarkTen.
The nation’s second biggest tobacco company, Reynolds
American, which makes Camel, Pall Mall, Kool and others, is now selling its own
Vuse e-cigarettes in select cities.
The nation’s third-largest U.S. tobacco company, Lorillard
Inc., the maker of Newport, Maverick and Old Gold cigarettes, acquired Blu
eCigs for $135 million in 2012. Lorillard Inc. makes up now about one-third of
the electronic cigarettes sold at U.S. convenience stores.
Joining the three biggest tobacco companies in the
e-cigarette business is Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sean Parker
is part of a group investing $75 million in NJOY Inc., which makes one of the
leading electronic cigarettes.
According to the August 13, 2013, TechCrunch article
“E-Cig Companies Will Never Promise To Help You Quit Smoking,”
the lack of regulation in the production of e-cigarettes “allows e-cigarette companies to be lazy or negligent. The nicotine dosage may vary from one product to the next, or perhaps they’re using something other than propylene glycol (the standard liquid found in e-cigarettes). They might even have a shoddy battery or wiring that exhausts burning plastic along with the nicotine. … Many e-cigarettes are manufactured in Asia, sold at gas stations, and the consumer is none the wiser that these products haven’t been checked out by any governing body. In short, there is no oversight.”
the lack of regulation in the production of e-cigarettes “allows e-cigarette companies to be lazy or negligent. The nicotine dosage may vary from one product to the next, or perhaps they’re using something other than propylene glycol (the standard liquid found in e-cigarettes). They might even have a shoddy battery or wiring that exhausts burning plastic along with the nicotine. … Many e-cigarettes are manufactured in Asia, sold at gas stations, and the consumer is none the wiser that these products haven’t been checked out by any governing body. In short, there is no oversight.”
Most American consumers know that the lack of oversight of e-cigarettes is not much different than the lack of oversight of other consumer products. While companies promise safety and the FDA promises oversight, the massive recall of several food items during the past months still reflect a “wild west” attitude when it comes to the production of anything – not just e-cigarettes.
Which places the responsibility of consuming anything –
including e-cigarettes -- on the consumer.
One of our writers smokes; not cigarettes but hand
rolling tobacco. When discussing the topic of tobacco and e-cigarettes, he
shared with the team of writers that he used to buy his brand of tobacco in the
United States because the tobacco was imported from Europe. After the United
States stopped importing the tobacco and produced it in the U.S., he was unable
to smoke the American-manufactured tobacco because it made him absolutely sick.
It was sold under the same name brand, the same package, the same everything.
The only difference was the experience. How could that be? The only explanation
was that the U.S. manufacturer changed the way it processed the tobacco or added chemicals to the tobacco that were not
added to it when manufacturer abroad.
As he pointed out, experience is the key whether it comes to tobacco, e-cigarettes, or any other product. If using a product makes me feel good and helps me, I will use it. If it doesn't -- I will look for something else.
And in case you are wondering what The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association (TVECA) is:
TVECA is a 501(c)(6), a not-for-profit trade organization. The TVECA is an association of private sector companies engaged in electronic cigarette technologies. Member companies are involved in all sectors of the creation & promotion of electronic cigarettes. The TVECA’s mission is to provide the tools & information necessary for policy-makers, opinion leaders, media and private sector companies worldwide to make informed decisions about the management and use of electronic cigarette technologies, particularly the most recent advances & applications. The association was founded to institute & promote industry-wide standards and a code of conduct, work to maintain sound professional practices, educate the public & policy-makers on industry’s activities, potential, and ensure the ethical use of electronic cigarettes.
Some of TVECA's most recent articles:
And in case you are wondering what The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association (TVECA) is:
TVECA is a 501(c)(6), a not-for-profit trade organization. The TVECA is an association of private sector companies engaged in electronic cigarette technologies. Member companies are involved in all sectors of the creation & promotion of electronic cigarettes. The TVECA’s mission is to provide the tools & information necessary for policy-makers, opinion leaders, media and private sector companies worldwide to make informed decisions about the management and use of electronic cigarette technologies, particularly the most recent advances & applications. The association was founded to institute & promote industry-wide standards and a code of conduct, work to maintain sound professional practices, educate the public & policy-makers on industry’s activities, potential, and ensure the ethical use of electronic cigarettes.
Some of TVECA's most recent articles:
08/26/13: CORRUPTION
OR COINCIDENCE?????? More Information
08/21/13: Dragonite
Sells E-Vapor Business To ITG More Information
08/07/13: Council
won't ban e-cigarettes More Information
07/02/13: Do smoking
bans apply to e-cigarettes? More Information
05/29/13: When
e-smokers breathe out, what do we breathe in? More Information
