Don’t Be Fooled by E-Cigarettes
Some of your patients or their at-risk family members who are having a hard time quitting smoking may ask you whether electronic cigarettes are a safer alternative. According to a recent laboratory analysis conducted by the FDA, the answer is, “Probably not.”
Electronic cigarettes, also called “ecigarettes,” are battery-operated devices that generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor, and other chemicals. These ingredients are turned into a vapor that is then inhaled by the user.
The agency’s Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis evaluated samples taken from the cartridges of 2 brands of electronic cigarettes. The researchers found that one sample contained diethylene glycol—a toxic chemical used in antifreeze. Several other samples revealed the presence of carcinogens, including nitrosamines. According to the FDA’s Division of Drug Information, these tests indicate that these products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed. The results of this limited testing are the only information the FDA has to go on regarding the levels of nicotine or the amounts or kinds of other chemicals in ecigarettes, because the devices have not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval.
In other smoking-related news from the FDA, the agency has officially established the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) as part of the implementation of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act—the legislation that gave the FDA regulatory control over the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products. The 12-member TPSAC will consider such matters as the impact of the use of menthol cigarettes on public health and the effects of altered nicotine yields from tobacco products.
Delicia Yard
November 23, 2009
