E-Cigarettes are safe, Mom…..right??
January 18, 2017 1:54 pm
WRONG ! And these items have become intensely popular !
A study in southern California in 2014 documented that, after a 20-year decline in smoking prevalence, there was a dramatic upswing in combined cigarette/e-cigarette usage. The study revealed that 1 in 7 high school juniors and seniors were smoking either cigarettes or e-cigarettes. This suggests that e-cigarettes are not merely a substitute for the traditional cigarette, but that they are a ‘gateway’ access point for those who, likely, would not have used tobacco products.
Less we think that this is only a problem on the west coast, please consider how many appealing commercials we easily view on television, and how easy these products may be obtained in many places that you buy gas or groceries. All of this notoriety has occurred in less than a decade of open-market availability of e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes are not a harmless flavored smoke product, and presently. there are more than 460 brands of e-cigarettes exceeding 7,700 flavors – none of which are banned in the United States. Nearly 2 of 3 young people who use e-cigarettes load them with flavors such a bubble gum and gummy bear.
Our children are easily influenced by glitz and glamor and are very trusting of screen stars, sports heroes and a barrage of flashy media. In addition they may be confused by parental smoking patterns – thinking that e-cigarettes are safe and certainly less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
There is even an American Vaping Association lobbying (claiming 1st amendment rights) to be sure that your children have plenty of access to these products. This organization downplays the results of the various studies, and quibbles with the study designs and terminologies. At the present time, there is very limited FDA and federal oversight of these products – although a recent ruling prohibits purchase by those under 18 years of age – and the flavoring is completely unregulated.
The products contain a number of harmful and addictive products such as nicotine, nitrosamines, formaldehyde, and diethylene glycol (the product in antifreeze); both the liquid suspension and the vapor generated may contain these dangerous products.
And so, as a doctor in our community, I would insist that e-cigarettes are definitely NOT SAFE ! Please pass the word to your children.
Ferdinand Yates, MD–Woodstock Pediatric Medicine