E-Cigarette
Although still awaiting FDA approval, electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are growing in popularity among those attempting to quit smoking. E-cigarettes give users a craving for nicotine and physical sensations. While allegedly reducing the amount of chemicals, and smoke regularly found in cigarettes. The side effects of e-cigarettes are not extreme; such as prescription NRTs nor are they acting as slow; as other nicotine replacements.
That being said, e-cigarettes remain uncontrolled; The perceived benefits and risks of e-cigarettes would require years of scientific investigation before anything more than claims. With that understanding, smokers who think for e-cigarettes as a solution to their smoking should recognize their bitter experimental and uncertain status as told by N.R.T.s. Below, we explore the status of e-cigarettes and pending government efforts to further regulate the product.
How it works
E-cigarettes provide for the delivery of pure nicotine without deliberately added chemicals and carcinogens. Nicotine in liquid form is contained in a small cylinder; which also houses a heating device. The cylinder is connected to a battery that; when triggered by inhalation of air, activates the heating device. In a second partition, a drop of liquid nicotine is vaporized by heat and taken directly to the lungs. This hot gas not only carries the nicotine released, from the brain, but also “kills the throat”, a sensation in the back of the throat when smoking a cigarette. For some users, strangulation is an essential part of smoking, and some nicotine is not distributed by other forms of intake.
Possible risks and negative effects
While e-cigarettes have attracted the attention of the FDA, they have not yet been officially regulated, as we noted above. Year 2014 the agency offered, with the Family Smoking and Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, that e-cigarette manufacturers only disclose each ingredients and market products by FDA approval. However, it has not yet been added to the existing law. Health concerns expressed by governmental entities include the fact that there has been no long-term study of the effects on e-cigarette users, nor of synthetic nicotine vapor directly in lung tissue, nor of propylene glycol. It is also used in effect. the product.
E-cigarette critics are also concerned with some secondary risks that offset the convenience of these devices. Although e-cigarettes seem to help ease the habit of smokers, usually by a gradual decrease in the amount of nicotine in each cartridge, it also appears to attract new customers who have never smoked. not done. Chocolate, strawberry, bubble gum, and cherry are common vapor flavors for sale, and specialty stores are known to sell over a hundred distinct flavors. This huge variety of flavors available is attracting many users and not always as a replacement for a tobacco product. The risk of creating a new problem while solving an old problem is a major cause of FDA questions about whether to approve the use of e-cigarettes.
Nicotine cartridges are potentially dangerous in themselves. Medical experts agree that nicotine, apart from its addictive properties, is not an inherently bad substance. However, synthetic nicotine in its concentrated liquid form is highly toxic and a different matter. Minimal accidental exposure to liquid nicotine can be fatal, and drinking as little as one teaspoon can kill a child; One tablespoon can kill at least one big man.
Vital Risk
The risk does not end with liquid ending, either; Hospitalization has been reported due to bare skin contact. Finally, added flavoring to the liquid and lack of industry regulation on packaging appeals to small jars of nicotine to make “juices” that are attractive and accessible to children. In recent years, the CDC has reported a dramatic increase in calls to poison control centers about liquid nicotine.
Because users do not inhale tar and other additives found in cigarettes, some people may find that e-cigarettes are healthy. While it is true that they do not carry the same cancer risk as tobacco cigarettes, it is not known whether e-cigarettes are long-term safe. For example, researchers have confirmed that synthetic nicotine still impairs lung function, increases heart rate and constricts blood vessels.
Many smokers use tobacco as well as e-cigarettes, rather than a replacement, and there are concerns that these users may actually be exposed to more nicotine than e-cigarettes. Although New York and Chicago have banned the public use of e-cigarettes, most areas of the country are allowed to fill water indoors. Instead of leading smokers away from cigarettes, such practices may actually attract new users to e-cigarettes.
Future of Regulation
The FDA is currently reviewing existing data and conducting its own research, and industry manufacturers hope that e-cigarettes may soon be regulated by the government. This opens the door to taxation of the product, which has the dual effect of providing a new income stream to the tax bodies while raising the price of the product. However, by economic implication, regulating the manufacture and distribution of e-cigarettes may benefit the market. For example, FDA approval may be accompanied by:
Ban on sale to buyers under 18
Quality control on nicotine dose delivery (tests have shown that the average amount of nicotine in e-cigarettes may be significantly different from the amount indicated on the packaging).
- Requirements listing major known hazards and risk factors on packaging
- Limited ability to advertise, similar to regulations imposed on tobacco industry
- Restrictions on the sale of free samples or vending machines
- Limitations on the number of delicious flavors on offer
- Online sales are restricted
Meanwhile, in the grand tradition of capitalism, e-cigarette manufacturers are scrambling to rake in profits in an unregulated market. It is currently estimated that US e-cigarette revenue will be $ 1.7 billion in 2014. The regulation would follow a mixed bag of regulations for manufacturers and distributors, but would theoretically be a safer consumer experience.
Additional Resources
After decades of denial by veterans in the tobacco and advertising industries, the American public is now aware of the dangers of cigarette smoking, particularly in relation to cancer and heart disease. While there are still many smokers in America, most of them expect to quit the habit. Fortunately, there are many alternatives to quitting cold-turkey, and most of them are approved by the FDA.
Smoking cessation aids
SmokeFree.gov: Created by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The site contains information about nicotine replacement therapy; such as patches, gum, nasal spray, lozenge or inhalers.
Chantix: As mentioned above, Chantix is a prescription-based drug that blocks nicotine receptor cells in the brain and reduces craving as you quit smoking. Read in Details
Zyban: Also mentioned, this anti-depressant, available with a prescription, has been proven to reduce cravings and help users stop smoking. Read in Details
Hypnosis: Thousands of Americans have successfully accepted hypnosis in their efforts to quit smoking. WebMD outlines the commonly employed variations as to the validity and treatment of the method.
Freedom from smoking: This program, presented by the American Lung Association, is an 8-session group clinic that can be brought to any group or organization. Personal online support is also available.
Quitplan: This service caters to those who want to quit with a two-week price of nicotine patches, gum, or loinges; Participants also receive personal support via email and text messaging, as well as a guide to make suggestions on how to manage craving. Read in Details
Be an Ex: This 3-phase plan designed by the Mayo Clinic targets all smokers who want to improve, and includes specific information about pregnant smokers and alternative medicine.
Smoking cessation support device
TheRealCost: This no-nonsense site can break the negative impact on your life.
Smokefree.gov: This government-run site provides smokers with resources to quit in ways that feel sensible and remarkable.
How to quit: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides tips from links to reformed smokers; and other government resources designed to help them quit.
Quit-Net: A staple in the global of smoking cessation; the site produces a variety of resources for smokers, including a downloadable guide to quitting. A community forum for fellow smokers, and games and blogs are; when the urge becomes distracted.
Freedom from smoking: This resource is sponsored from the American Lung Association, and is designed to help busy adults quit smoking.