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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Did The FDA Intentionally Blunder Electronic Cigarette Study?

By Barry Williamson

Most people have read each side of the debate on the subject of ecigs. On one side, you'll find the proponents that believe they're safe to use and an efficient gadget for quitting smoking. On the other end of this debate are the opponents who say the electronic cigarette can be hazardous for the end user and they are worthless as a smoking cessation aid. However, as we all know, when there are two sides of a story the truth is usually someplace in the middle.



This e-cig controversy went viral in July of last year when the FDA produced a report declaring that they had examined e cigs with their associated product e-liquid and identified them to be hazardous because they included materials reported to be poisonous to people. The electric cigarette side fired back by employing the well known analysis organization Exponent Engineering to examine the FDA scientific study and the practices they employed to attain their findings. Exponent Engineering identified the conclusions reached in the FDA research project as being invalid as the testing methods they utilized had been far from those necessary to come up with such scientific conclusions.

Presently, over a year later, what exactly have we learned about the safety regarding smokeless cigarette use? Generally speaking, practically nothing has changed. Each side of the controversy still declares victory yet in the long run, e-cig smokers remain in the dark about whether the e-cig is harmless to use and beneficial as a stop smoking instrument. Why don't we have a closer look at precisely what we do understand.

In the interest of brevity, I will not go into detail about how the smokeless cigarette works or how it is used. It's fundamentally a nicotine delivery system not unlike the medically prescribed Nicotrol inhaler. It functions by heating and atomizing a mixture of propylene glycol and pure nicotine, known as e-liquid, as the smoker breathes in through the device. The Food and Drug Administration's primary point of contention, confirmed mistaken by Exponent Engineering, is that the nicotine containing solution (e-liquid) they analyzed contained harmful contaminants. The controversy concerning this point itself is not my issue. What is important to note here would be the fact the Food and Drug Administration may have, whether intentional or not, come across an extremely important fact. Let's look at this point a little bit deeper.

In America, most anything we eat or drink is required to conform to criteria regulated by government organizations which assure our safety and health. We frequently come across products that were recalled by the producer because of the slightest noncompliance with the proper production steps. So let us check out e-liquid (nicotine mixture used in electric cigarettes) for a moment. Right now, you'll find basically no guidelines or polices in place regulating its production, who may manufacture it, how it is stored or even its shelf life. Generally speaking, you or I can go on the web, shop for e liquid components and start mixing it inside our garages with zero regulation whatsoever. For personal use, this will possibly appear acceptable. Although I don't know of any similar product designed for human inhalation that you may make for yourself let alone for mass consumption and advertise it for sale on the net. But still, this is precisely what a great many eliquid marketers are actually doing.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not necessarily stating that e-liquid is in fact dangerous. I am just saying there is a real chance that due to lack of regulation, contaminated eliquid might theoretically land in the hands of an e cig smoker. Now you may wonder about the eliquid that is manufactured by the e cigarette companies themselves? Here once again, we basically have the identical problem. Formulated mainly inside China, there's absolutely no regulation of any sort concerning how this e liquid is manufactured. Ultimately, it seems those purchasing eliquid should be thinking about that old adage caveat emptor or "Let the buyer beware".

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