E-cigarette Health Issue & Findings

sourcing from http://en.wikipedia.org

The health effects of using electronic cigarettes are currently unknown. Some electronic cigarette companies claim that the harmful material produced by the combustion of tobacco in traditional cigarettes is not present in the atomized liquid of electronic cigarettes. Some have also marketed electronic cigarettes as a way to curtail an addiction to nicotine, although international health organizations have stated they may not be marketed as a cessation device.Despite these claims, a number of regulatory agencies have issued warnings regarding the health effects of these products. The recently formed Electronic Cigarette Association aims to eliminate unsubstantiated health claims made by electronic cigarette companies, and those companies that wish to participate in the association must agree to refrain from making such claims.In a recent online survey from November 2009 among 303 smokers, it was found that e-cigarette substitution for tobacco cigarettes resulted in perceived health benefits (less cough, higher ability to do exercise, and a better sense of taste and smell).

Various findings Food and Drug Administration (USA)

In May 2009, the US FDA’s Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis tested the contents of cartridges by two vendors. Trace amounts (detectable, but not measurable) of diethylene glycol (also found in cigarette smoke) were found in one of the eighteen cartridges. In addition, tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) were detected in some of the cartridges tested which used tobacco flavoring. Further concerns were raised over inconsistent amounts of nicotine delivered when drawing on the device. In July 2009, the FDA issued a press release discouraging the use of electronic cigarettes and repeating previously stated concerns that electronic cigarettes may be marketed to young people and lack appropriate health warnings.

The FDA’s May 2009 study was reviewed in July 2009 by scientific consulting firm Exponent, Inc., in a report commissioned by the manufacturer of one of the electronic cigarettes tested by the FDA. Some of the criticisms in Exponent’s report are poor standards of documentation and analysis and failure to perform relevant comparisons to FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy products, which Exponent claims contain TSNA levels comparable to those of e-cigarettes. The study concludes that the FDA’s claims of potential adverse health effects were not supported by the study.

Health Canada

On March 27, 2009, Health Canada issued an advisory against electronic cigarettes. The advisory stated “Although these electronic smoking products may be marketed as a safer alternative to conventional tobacco products and, in some cases, as an aid to quitting smoking, electronic smoking products may pose risks such as nicotine poisoning and addiction.”

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization proclaimed in September 2008 that it does not consider the electronic cigarette to be a legitimate smoking cessation aid, and demanded that marketers immediately remove from their materials any suggestions that the WHO considers electronic cigarettes safe and effective.The WHO states that to its knowledge, “no rigorous, peer-reviewed studies have been conducted showing that the electronic cigarette is a safe and effective nicotine replacement therapy. WHO does not discount the possibility that the electronic cigarette could be useful as a smoking cessation aid.” WHO Tobacco Free Initiative director ad interim Douglas Bettcher states, “If the marketers of the electronic cigarette want to help smokers quit, then they need to conduct clinical studies and toxicity analyses and operate within the proper regulatory framework. Until they do that, WHO cannot consider the electronic cigarette to be an appropriate nicotine replacement therapy, and it certainly cannot accept false suggestions that it has approved and endorsed the product.”

Health New Zealand

The presence of trace amounts of TSNAs in electronic cigarette vapor was previously documented in an analysis done by the Health New Zealand medical journal in October 2008. However, unlike the FDA study, the Health New Zealand study conducted detailed quantitative analysis and concluded that carcinogens and toxicants are present only below harmful levels. Overall, the product tested was deemed a “safe alternative to smoking.”

Legal status by region

Because of the relative novelty of the technology and the possible relationship to tobacco laws and medical drug policies, electronic cigarette legislation and public health investigations are currently pending in many countries.

• In Australia, the sale of electronic cigarettes containing nicotine is illegal.
• In Brazil electronic cigarettes sales, importation or advertisement of any kind are forbidden. Anvisa, the Brazilian health and sanitation federal agency, found the current health safety assessments about e-cigarettes not to be yet satisfactory to make the product eligible to be approved for commercialization.
• In Canada, as of March 2009, imports, sales, and advertising are banned. In March 2009, Health Canada also advised Canadians not to purchase or use any electronic smoking products. Health Canada cited the Food and Drugs Act, stating that electronic smoking products containing nicotine require market authorization before they can be imported, marketed, or sold. No market authorization has been granted for any electronic smoking product.
• In Denmark, the Danish Medicines Agency classifies electronic cigarettes containing nicotine as medicinal products. Thus, authorization is required from the retailer before the product may be marketed and sold. The agency has clarified, however, that electronic cigarettes that do not administer nicotine to the user, and are not otherwise used for the prevention or treatment of disease, are not considered medicinal devices.  The use of electronic cigarettes has not been prohibited in Copenhagen Airport, but at least one airline (Scandinavian Airlines) has decided to ban their use on board flights.
• In Netherlands, use and sale of electronic cigarettes is allowed, but advertising is forbidden pending European Union legislation.
• In New Zealand, the Ministry of Health has ruled that the Ruyan e-cigarette falls under the requirements of the Medicines Act, and cannot be sold except as a registered medicine.
• In Panama, importation, distribution and sale has been prohibited since June 2009. The Ministry of Health cites the FDA findings as their reason for the ban.
• In Singapore, the sale and import of electronic cigarettes, even for personal consumption, is illegal.
• In United Kingdom, use and sale of electronic cigarettes is currently unrestricted, although the MHRA has proposed bringing all nicotine products except tobacco within the medicines licensing regime.

[Via http://newtechnologyinformation.wordpress.com]