Introduced in America in 2007, the electronic cigarette, or e-cig, is a tobacco-free alternative to smoking regular cigarettes. Rather than tobacco, a small amount of liquid nicotine is heated up when someone inhales and is turned into a vapor the smoker breathes in before exhaling – and according to manufacturers – pure water vapor.
However, many health experts and regulatory agencies say not enough research has been done on possible health risks and side effects of inhaling nicotine vapor. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also expressed concern over quality control, saying that some manufacturers do not disclose all of the chemical ingredients in their product, and that they may not accurately label the amount of nicotine in each package.
Since e-cigs do not contain tobacco, they do not fall under U.S. tobacco laws and can be purchased without proof of age in much of the country (last year Governor Cuomo signed a law banning the sale of e-cigs in the State of New York to anyone under 18). Some electronic cigarette opponents are pushing for the devices to be declared illegal until more research has been conducted. The FDA is in the process of having e-cigs labeled as a drug-delivery device in order to regulate them, however, a recent lawsuit by two e-cig manufacturers in Washington, D.C. has hindered this process.
For parents, the most alarming issue with electronic cigarettes is their appeal to middle school and high school students. While not directly marketed to teens, the nicotine cartridges come in a variety of flavors including cherry, chocolate, cola, vanilla, grape, caramel apple, cinnamon roll, and even waffle. And as e-cigs don’t actually burn anything, they don’t create an odor, making them all the more appealing to the middle school or high school student who doesn’t want his or her parents to know they are smoking.
A recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on smoking habits of middle school and high school students found that use of e-cigs doubled between 2011 and 2012, with 10 percent of high school students saying they had tried an e-cig, up from 4.7 percent just a year earlier. The same study found that more than 76 percent of high school students who had used an electronic cigarette in the last 30 days also smoked regular cigarettes. With middle school students, that number was nearly 80 percent. This has generated fears that e-cigs are functioning as a gateway to other tobacco products.
“These findings show why it is urgent that the FDA move forward with plans to regulate all tobacco products, including … e-cigarettes,” says Susan Liss, executive director of the National Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
