Department of Defense Weighs in on E-cigarette Testing

It's hard to miss ads for a new "fantastic, risk-free, clean, and absolutely amazing" invention that lets people continue to smoke without all the dangers of smoking. It sounds too good to be true, but electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) manufacturers boldly advertise their product as the first healthy cigarette, free of the harmful chemicals and tar typically found in tobacco products, and compare them to the nicotine patch. One of the product's largest distributors has stated that they are "pretty sure" e-cigarettes are safe.

Analysis Refutes Health Claims

Yet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found otherwise. Tests were conducted on a small sample of cartridges from two leading brands of electronic cigarettes. The FDA's laboratory analysis of electronic cigarettes showed that these products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could possibly be exposed.

Capt. David Arday, a U.S. Public Health Service physician and chairman of the Department of Defense (DoD) Alcohol and Tobacco Advisory Committee, responded, "I strongly caution service members to avoid e-cigarettes, and to instead choose to make a commitment to give up all tobacco products. Substituting a product designed to keep you hooked on nicotine and that the FDA has legitimate safety concerns about is not the answer. And we know from research that nicotine is as addictive as heroin."

Other members of the medical and scientific community have voiced their concerns. "Nicotine is not the thing in tobacco smoke that causes cancer, but inhaling pure nicotine may be dangerous," said Dr. Steven Schroeder, a physician and smoking cessation expert at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.

The FDA has rebutted claims by manufacturers that an electronic cigarette is no different than an approved nicotine inhaler. "The Nicotrol inhaler is an approved smoking cessation device," said FDA spokesperson Rita Chapelle.In contrast, e-cigarettes have not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval.

WHO Does Not Approve

The World Health Organization (WHO) took a strong stance against electronic cigarettes and called for marketers to immediately remove language in their ads suggesting that WHO considers e-cigarettes a safe and effective smoking cessation aid. "If the marketers of the electronic cigarette want to help smokers quit, then they need to conduct clinical studies and toxicity analyses and operate within the proper regulatory framework," said Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative. "Until they do that, WHO cannot consider the electronic cigarette to be an appropriate nicotine replacement therapy, and it certainly cannot accept false suggestions that it has approved and endorsed the product."

There are proven and safe alternatives for nicotine replacement therapy to help tobacco users stop smoking and using smokeless tobacco. In addition to nicotine inhalers, the patch and gum are approved by the FDA and safe when used according to directions. "Active-duty personnel can learn more about these cessation aids from their installation health care professionals," says Capt. Arday. "And there are excellent online tools to support a tobacco-free lifestyle at http://www.ucanquit2.org, headquarters for DoD's tobacco cessation campaign, Quit Tobacco—Make Everyone Proud."

How E-cigarettes Work

Electronic cigarettes run on a battery. When the user inhales them like a typical cigarette, the battery warms liquid nicotine stored in a plastic filter. The nicotine is dissolved in propylene glycol, the same liquid that is vaporized in nightclub and stage show smoke machines. The combination of heat and liquid creates the puff of vapor that looks like smoke when exhaled.

The Bottom Line

Those striving to convince consumers to spend their hard-earned money on these and other tobacco products may not want their targets to look too closely at the scientific evidence. Yet the recent FDA’s findings on risky ingredients merit close attention. Meanwhile, the clear purpose of the e-cigarette is to deliver an addictive substance, nicotine, to the user. Likely results include extended addiction and ongoing cost. However tobacco users look at it, e-cigarettes mean bad business and continued health risks.