FDA Study Of E-Cig Erroneously Reports Them As Dangerous

Most of us have heard both sides of the debate concerning smokeless cigarettes. On one side, we have the supporters who feel that they’re harmless and can act as a  tool for quitting smoking. On the other side of the controversy is the opposition who suggest the electronic cigarette is actually dangerous for consumers and that they are worthless as a stop smoking device. But as we all know, when there are 2 sides to a story, the reality is usually somewhere in between.

The electric cigarette controversy became viral when the Food and Drug Administration published a report claiming that they had tested e-cigs and e-liquid and identified them as harmful since they contained ingredients considered dangerous to people. The electronic cigarette side fired back by hiring a renowned investigation laboratory to examine the Food and Drug Administration study and the methods they used to reach their findings. The investigating lab discovered the findings  in the Food and drug administration research appeared to be inaccurate since the testing techniques they used were insufficient to make such determinations.

So at this point, exactly what have we all learned about the safety of e-cigs? Well, essentially very little has changed. Each side of the disagreement still declare victory; yet in the end, the e-cig buyer is still in the dark concerning whether or not the e cig is healthy to use and effective as a quitting smoking tool. Let’s have a closer look at precisely what we understand.

To make a long story short, I will not go into detail about how precisely the e-cigarette operates or the way it is used. It is simply a nicotine administration device like the physician prescribed Nicotrol® inhaler. It functions by warming its atomizer and vaporizing a combination of propylene glycerin and nicotine when the user inhales through the unit. The Food and drug administration’s main point of contention, which has been verified incorrect by the secondary investigation, is that the nicotine containing mixture they examined included harmful contaminants. The debate over this point itself is not my problem. The most important thing to note has to be that the Food and drug administration may have, if deliberate or not, stumbled upon a very important point. Let’s look into this a little further.

In the US, almost anything we eat or drink is required to conform to conditions controlled by many different federal agencies that ensure our health and safety. We see frequently foods that have been recalled through the manufacturer because of the smallest noncompliance with the proper manufacturing methods. Now let’s consider e-liquid (the nicotine product found in electric cigarettes). Currently, you’ll can find no rules or polices in place governing its manufacturing, who may manufacture it, the way it is stored or even its shelf life. Essentially you or I may go on the internet, obtain e liquid materials and start preparing it in our garages with no regulation at all. Of course for personal use this may sound acceptable. Still, I do not know of  any other product made for inhalation that you may prepare for yourself let alone for mass consumption and also sell it on the net. Yet this is just what scores of e-liquid distributors are actually doing.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am certainly not saying that e-liquid is unsafe. I am saying there is a distinct risk that due to lack of regulation, contaminated eliquid might end up in the hands of an electronic cigarette user. Now you will probably wonder about the nicotine fluid created by the electric cigarette manufacturers themselves? Here again, we essentially have the identical issue. Produced mostly inside China, there is no regulation of any kind concerning how this eliquid is made. Ultimately, it seems that people buying eliquid should be thinking about the old adage caveat emptor or “Let the buyer beware”.

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