Ashtray Blog: An Electronic Cigarette Blog

How the FDA misled the Public

The media, it seems, have been completely taken in by the FDA report, with headlines such as “Electronic Cigarettes Unsafe: Linked to Cancer” as pointed out by e-cig.org in another great post exposing how the FDA mislead the public and unanswered questions about the report (e.g. Why was no American e-liquid tested? Why was the press released delayed?) You can read the full post here: How and Why the FDA Misled the Public?

The FDA Crusade Against E-Cigarettes

Proffessor Brad Radu is also covering the subject in his post The FDA Crusade Against the Electronic Cigarette. His analysis of the studies found that the: “the FDA tested e-cigarette samples using a method that detects TSNAs [tobacco specific nitrosamines] at about 1 million times lower concentrations than are even possibly related to human health.”

Furthermore:

• The FDA failed to report the levels of these TSNA’s, meaning their report has no meaning (the lowes possible amount is 40 parts per trillion)
• The FDA used a nicotine inhaler as a control product, but didn’t test it for TSNA’s, although it has been known for 20 years that nrt products contain TSNA’s
• The FDA has never conducted these tests on any nicotine replacement products sold in the US for over 20 years

The blog post concludes:

These are not the actions of an agency that is science-based and consumer-focused. These pseudo-scientific actions are clearly intended to form the justification for banning a category of products that are probably 99.9% safer than cigarettes

Time Running Out

Obviously, there are serious interests aligned against the electronic cigarettes if the FDA can be persuaded to abandon its professional duty. Let’s look at who is affected:

• the pharmaceutical industry, who sell nicotine replacement aids
• public health groups, who receive funds from the pharmaceutical industry and promote ineffective smoking cessation aids
• the tobacco companies, who could see their lethal products taking a hit if electronic cigarettes ever become really popular
• the American government, whose health plans rely on revenue from tobacco companies

Against this you have a handful of professors and researchers who are better at serious analysis than sound bites that influence the press, and suppliers and users who have little weight in a system where money and influence count above the truth.

A few blog posts aren’t going to make a difference. Time is running out for the electronic cigarette. And a death penalty is looming for 40 percent of e-cigarette smokers who will return to regular cigarettes.

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According to Tim Worstall of the National Examiner, the FDA is manipulating the results of tests on the electronic cigarette to make a case against a device obviously far healthier than cigarettes.

The FDA recently analysed 18 cartridges and found that one cartridge contained trace elements of a carcinogen found in cigarettes and cigars.

They also created more chemicals by heating up the liquid to 280 oC and then testing it, even though they found that the apparatus actually works at between 40 – 65 oC.

The reporter concluded:

Because some cartridges were found to be of concern the entire technology will be banned: or at least, that’s what they’re going to try and do. For the real complaint is that all cartridges which claimed to contain nicotine did indeed contain it and we really cannot be having people inhaling that addictive drug now, can we?

The real question is why the FDA are so keen on banning an electronic cigarette after one trace element of a carcinogen has been found in one cartridge while retaining cigarettes – known to contain tar, 40 carcinogens and thousands of chemicals?

To read the full article see The FDA and Electronic Cigarettes.

Malpractice

Tim is not the only one to be attacking the FDA. According to Professor Michael Siegel, the FDA and other medical groups are “committing medical malpractice on a massive scale.”

Michael points out that:

• the same carcinogens that are found in e-cigarettes are found in nicotine cesssation aids
• none of these groups are arguing that nicotine cessations aids should be banned
• in urging smokers not to use e-cigarettes, they are essentially urging smokers to continue their lethal habit

Michael concluded:

The FDA and the anti-smoking groups damn well better start looking at the actual world around them rather than the ideological fantasy world in which they are living. People are dying and this is no joke. They can joke all they want about the traces of carcinogens in e-cigarettes. But those aren’t what are killling 400,000 people a year. I’ll say it again: it’s the damn real ones.

Read the full post here: Disingenuousness of the FDA’s Press Conference is Concerning; FDA and Anti-Smoking Groups are Committing Medical Malpractice on a Massive Scale

Taken In

Unfortunately, many bloggers and websites have been taken in by the misinformation.

States Blisstree:

If you’ve been considering switching to the so-called electronic cigarettes to keep your smoking habit but lower your health risk, save your money. Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes are no safer than the traditional tobacco ones, says the FDA.

Source: E-Cigarettes Not a Safe Option

Of course, who can blame these websites. The FDA, the body now paid by big tobacco to regulate the cigarettes that kill 400,000 Americans every year, are supposed to be responsible for looking after American’s health. Which is precisely why it is so dangerous – and so irresponsible – when they provide misinformation.

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There is a lot happening in the e-cigarette world at the moment.

Hypocrisy

In Health Canada in the Running for Hypocrisy Award, Michael Siegel points out the hypocrisy of an organisation that takes e-cigarettes of the market while allowing a drug which is known to kill – Chantix – to remain on the market.

FDA Announcement

Our friends over at E-Cigarette Org have an excellent post on an FDA announcement on the electronic cigarette. During testing one lab run by the FDA (currently the defendant in a litigation case concerning the electronic cigarette), the FDA found one cartridge to contain trace quantities of one chemical that is harmful to humans: Diethylene Glycol. This chemical is already in tobacco and in currently approved NRT’s, a fact which was not mentioned in the announcement.

The anti-smokers also argued that saying the electronic cigarettes were for adults only was a direct marketing ploy aimed at children. Doh, what are we supposed to say – really good for the under fives? That would be sure to put off any potential teenage addict!

None of the anti-smokers in the announcement expressed any concern over the fourteen year old boy who died of a nicotine overdose after using gum handed out by a school – read the story here: Teenage boy overdoses on nicotine gum handed out by school.

Carinongens in NRT’s

Tobacco carcinogens are being put in NRT’s. Strangely, the FDA did not hold a press conference to announce this. And in a second blog post, Michael wonders whether the anti-smoking groups calling for the banning of the electronic cigarette will call for the banning of the pharmecutical groups niotine replacement aids. Hmm – where do their funds come from again…

Oh and e-cigarettes are a target for children, but the cherry flavoured nicotine replacement aids approved by the FDA are not, apparently…

Ash on the Attack Again

Ash is again attacking the electronic cigarette, and their attitude is made clear:

“Being somewhat safer than the most dangerous product ever marketed is hardly a glowing recommendation, and certainly not the criteria which new medical products must meet.”

Somewhat safer, according to Dr Joel Nitzin, is between one percent and one tenth of one percent the risk of a cigarette – that’s a glowing recommendation for me!

The same article also stated:

“E-cigarettes also deliver significant amounts of propylene glycol, the same substance used to make antifreeze.”

And flour can be used to make bombs! He doesn’t mention that propylene glycol is also used to make beer, wine, moisturisers, in food additives and preservatives or that the anti-freeze made is a less toxic version than normal!

One E-Cigarette retailers said: “We figured this is a no-brainer, it’s healthier…” Think again! Where there are billions of dollars of pharmaceutical revenue (which provides funds for the public health groups), tobacco revenue (not known for scruples when it comes to public health) and government revenue ( tobacco taxes are an essential part of America’s plans for health reforms) at risk, being healthier is just not enough.

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We thought it was high time we redesigned the graphics of our website – so we have done. It’s still us, though, although hopefully looking rather better than in the past. The changes only apply to the design – the checkout system (using Roman Cart with a choice of SagePay or Paypal) remains the same.

The blog, of course, is looking the same as before – that will have to wait for another time!

We are currently checking for glitches in the website, of which thankfully there seem to be very few. However, if you find any we would be very grateful if you could let us know.

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It appears we briefly had malware on our site, and a warning has come up next to our google listing. We hired programmers to remove the malware, and have now applied for a review of the site. The site should now be safe. We will be taking steps to make sure the site is not hacked again.

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