Study: E-Cigarettes no better than puffing on unlit cigarette. Oh yeah: there’s anti-freeze in ‘em too…[Update]
**Update: A quick skim through the comments below will show that I clearly dropped the ball on this one. Poor journalism, reporting…pretty much all of the above. As a writer it’s disappointing and as a reader it’s frustrating. All I can do is learn and not be that sloppy again. With that said, I apologize for my oversights and vow to now let that happen again. In the meantime, for more information on e-cigarettes and “vaping”, check out VapersNetwork.org and e-cigarette forums for more helpful information.
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When I was at CES last month, I was actually quite shocked at how many E-Cigarette companies I saw on the floor. I’m pretty sure there were at least 4-5. That may seem like nothing when taking into account how many exhibitors were actually there, but truth be told, it is. With the decreasing outlook of smoking in general in the public eye, smokers have been looking for other places or other ways to get their fix. Technology knocked on their door and viola — e-cigarettes.
Billed as “much safer than traditional cigarettes” and able to give users more nicotine in smaller packages, those into smoking and gadgets have found e-cigarettes to be quite the lifesaver (that’s awkward). This whole smokeless smoking obsession seems all fine and dandy, especially with the several e-cigarette manufactures I saw present at CES. However, according to the FDA, e-cigarettes are just as bad if not worse than their older smoking cousins — which is why they banned the import of e-cigarettes almost one year ago.
It gets worse: e-cigarettes tested by the FDA routinely feature chemical compounds such as diethylene glycol — a chemical found in anti-freeze. Last time I checked, it isn’t the greatest of ideas to stroll down to the local auto store and chug a gallon of anti-freeze. Then again, once chemical component alone doesn’t make up anti-freeze. But even still, it should open many e-cigarette users’ eyes.
Finally, the main point of e-cigarettes is to deliver nicotine to the “smoker”. Again, after many studies by the FDA, it’s appearing as if they fail — miserably. According to the FDA’s test results, smoking an e-cigarette, no matter how concentrated, is no different than puffing on an unlit cigarette. The FDA’s first test conducted in the US revealed that smokers, regardless of using real or e-cigarettes, had the same levels of nicotine in their blood. The only difference: for e-smokers, each and every puff of an e-cigarette was full of kiethylene glycol as well as other cancer causing compounds — not the “safe” and “harmless” water vapor that e-cigarette makers claim.
In lieu of all that has been mentioned above, if you had a favorable outlook on e-cigarettes, where does that outlook stand now?
A couple of years ago, I received a hookah as a Christmas gift from a friend. I’m not a smoker mind you, but every once in a while I’ll get in the mood to fire the ‘ol hookah up. The reason for the “once in a while” routine? Well, smoking isn’t that great for the lungs (shocker!) but more importantly, I can only stand so much of it before it makes me nauseous. Also, the fact that I can’t take my wondrous hookah anywhere in public because of anti-smoking laws blanketing the country means it has been relegated to a rarely occurring treat. Ok — why am I talking hookahs on a tech blog? It all leads into the the whole transformation of taking something as old and seemingly stagnant as a hookah and somehow making it digital. Such a transformation is perfectly captured in the E-Hookah…
