For you smokers out there

[InChiefsHeaven]

Originally Posted by bishop_74

http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/cons.../ucm173401.htm

The agency is concerned that

e-cigarettes can increase nicotine addiction among young people and may lead kids to try other tobacco products, including conventional cigarettes, which are known to cause disease and lead to premature death.

No problem there, I'm not a young person.

the products may contain ingredients that are known to be toxic to humans
because clinical studies about the safety and efficacy of these products for their intended use have not been submitted to FDA, consumers currently have no way of knowing 1) whether e-cigarettes are safe for their intended use, or 2) about what types or concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals or what dose of nicotine they are inhaling when they use these products.

I'd think that they would not have to say "may" contain, but "DO" contain. How come they can't say for sure? Are they worse for you than cigarettes? The FDA doesn't know? What the hell do these guys do all day?

The potential health risks posed by the use of e-cigarettes were addressed in a July 22, 2009, phone conference between Joshua M. Sharfstein, M.D., principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs; Jonathan Winickoff, M.D., chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Tobacco Consortium; Jonathan Samet, M.D., director of the University of Southern California's Institute for Global Health; and Matthew T. McKenna, M.D., director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Always the "Potential". Again, how can they not know for sure?

Conference participants stressed the importance of parents being aware of the health and marketing concerns associated with e-cigarettes. It was stated that parents may want to tell their children and teenagers that these products are not safe to use.

Based on what? The unknown "potential"?

During the phone conference, which was shared with the news media, FDA announced findings from a laboratory analysis that indicates that electronic cigarettes expose users to harmful chemical ingredients.

FDA’s Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis—part of the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research—analyzed the ingredients in a small sample of cartridges from two leading brands of e-cigarette samples.

One sample was found to contain diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in antifreeze. Several other samples were found to contain carcinogens, including nitrosamines.

At last, we are getting to the meat of it. This is fine, it's good to know, but according to what I've read from the manufacturers, many stress that they don't contain diethylene glycol. So if you find one that doesn't, is it OK?

I definitely want more info about the SPECIFIC issues with these things. Your article is very vague (typical of the government). I just wish they would get specific, and why wouldn't they? Could it be that they really just don't want people to quit smoking? It's a cash cow, after all...