News
Study: E-cigarettes aren't as safe as previously believed
Friday, September 6, 2013
Daily Nebraskan
Electronic cigarettes may be trendy in the United States, but a recent French study claims that these battery-operated devices aren’t as safe as people thought.
The researchers at France’s National Consumer’s Institute found that three in 10 e-cigarettes contain carcinogens and other hazardous chemicals, including the same amount of formaldehyde as traditional cigarettes and diethylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze. The cigarettes are battery-operated. They use heat to vaporize a liquid mixed with nicotine and don’t contain tobacco, though that’s where the nicotine is derived from.
The study tested 10 brands of e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes have been available for about 10 years, but much information about them is still unknown.
“The thing about most studies is that they’re done on multiple manufacturers,” said Jeremy Spencer, one of the owners of GNS Vapor, a local store specializing in e-cigarettes and e-juice, the liquid nicotine used in the cigarettes. “A lot of the juice is made in China in large batches, and it’s not as high of quality as those made here in the States. Everything we sell is made in small batches.”
GNS Vapor, at 4230 S. 33rd St. and 1401 N. 56th St., has strict sanitary standards for its employees, and all flavors are FDA approved.
“There is crappy juice out there, and it’s cheaper than the high-quality, small-batch kind that we use,” Spencer said.
In a statement on its website, the American Lung Association warns against the use of e-cigarettes.
“If e-cigarettes sound too good to be true, that’s because they probably are,” the statement read. “With a dearth of rigorous studies on their safety and effectiveness, experts are increasingly concerned that e-cigarettes may do little to help you stop smoking — and may actually do more harm than good.”
E-cigarettes’ U.S. sales are expected to hit $1.7 billion by the end of this year. In Nebraska, consumers must be at least 18 years old to buy nicotine products. Currently, there are no restrictions placed on the sale or marketing of e-cigarettes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not taken a definitive stance on e-cigarettes, but Spencer said the FDA is set to work on the regulations this October.
With the opening of GNS Vapor’s second location at 56th Street, Spencer said the store hopes to attract more college-aged customers.
Devon Rezac, a junior nutrition science and global studies major and five-year smoker, prefers regular cigarettes but sees the appeal of e-cigarettes.
“I hate how bad smoking makes you smell,” he said. “It turns your teeth really bad and gives you bad breath, but with electronic cigarettes, you really don’t have to worry about that.”
The American Journal of Public Health reported in March that 53 percent of young adults in the U.S. believe e-cigarettes are healthier than traditional cigarettes. The journal also stated that people 20 to 28 years old believe e-cigarettes can assist them in kicking the smoking habit as well, about 45 percent of young adults.
But Rezac doesn’t believe that they help people quit smoking.
“The problem that I found with electronic cigarettes is you really don’t know when you’re done,” he said. “A regular cigarette burns out, but electronic cigarettes keep going. You can sit and smoke the entire electronic cigarette before you realize you’re done. One cartridge is equivalent to an entire pack of cigarettes. If you keep going, it’s like you got an entire pack of cigarettes in one sitting.”
