Federal regulators and antismoking groups are striking measures that could snuff out electronic cigarettes, the smokeless nicotine products embraced by an increasing number of people trying to kick the habit or avert bans on smoking in public.

Electronic cigarettes generally consist of a metal tube holding an atomizer, a battery and a cartridge filled with liquid nicotine. When a user draws on an e-cigarette, an LED causes the tip to glow and the atomizer turns the liquid nicotine into a vapor -- hence it's known as vaping rather than smoking. The vapor can be inhaled and then exhaled, producing a cloud that resembles cigarette smoke but disperses more quickly and doesn't have the lingering odor.

Most electronic cigarettes sold in the U.S. are manufactured and tested in China.  The American Lung Association, along with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, recently called for e-cigarettes to be removed from the market.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved e-cigarettes and has halted 17 shipments of them from entering the country since March 1, said Karen Riley, an FDA spokeswoman. She said many of the blocked shipments came from China, where most e-cigarettes are made.  The FDA says e-cigarettes are "drug-delivery devices," not tobacco products, and is evaluating them on a case-by-case basis, Riley said. She acknowledged that it's conceivable that some foreign shipments still are passing through.  "Clearly, the mode of action here is the drug," Riley said. "It's nicotine, it's addictive, and we have some real concerns about that."   There was no reference of e-cigarettes, however, in legislation approved on June 11, 2009 by the U.S. Senate and June 12 by the House that would hand the FDA the power to regulate the content and marketing of cigarettes, Riley said. President Barack Obama, a smoker, has said he will sign the bill.

In the meantime, e-cigarettes are being sold in Ohio and are unaffected by the statewide smoking ban.  "The ban does not include e-cigarettes because they do not burn tobacco or any other plant", said Kristopher Weiss, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health. Still, he said, "We don't see them here as a safe alternative to smoking."

The Delaware General Health District recently released an advisory about e-cigarettes, warning that they are neither safe nor healthy. Health officials plan to warn school administrators about them and will expect them to forbid their use, said Jesse Carter, the health district's spokesman.  "We're very certain that school administrators wouldn't approve of these things in schools, but what if a young person shows up with one and says, 'I'm a smoker, and I'm trying to quit and this is my stop-smoking aid.'  " Carter said. "We think it might be a situation where the policy needs to specifically say 'electronic cigarettes,' so there's no doubt whatsoever."

"If e-cigarettes become the next big thing, do I think children are going to try it?" said Shelly Kiser, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Ohio. "Most definitely."  There are concerns for users of all ages, Kiser said. "There have been no scientific studies of these devices, and so we don't know anything about them. We don't know what it does to your system when you inhale evaporated nicotine. We know that the best thing for your lungs is clean air."

Most e-cigarette users are smokers seeking an alternative to tobacco without the side effects, said Jack Leadbeater, chairman of the Electronic Cigarette Association and president and CEO of the NJOY brand of electronic cigarettes based in Scottsdale, Ariz.  Leadbeater said his company distributes only to clients who are of legal smoking age.  "There are people out there that believe that the product is being marketed to children," Leadbeater said. "Our company and companies within the association are certainly not doing that in any shape or form."

Some e-cigarette companies have sued the FDA in federal court, stating the agency has no jurisdiction over the products because they are an alternative to smoking, not a drug device aimed at helping people quit.  "If everybody in the U.S. were to switch to the electronic cigarette tomorrow, you will have removed secondhand smoke, you will have removed combustion products" from the market, says Walt Linscott, lead counsel for Smoking Everywhere Inc., an e-cigarette company in Sunrise, Fla.

Electronic cigarettes have become more and more popular in the U.S. as more states and localities ban indoor smoking and hike up taxes on cigarettes. Users have had varying experiences vaping in public, ranging from indifference to odd glances.  There are three large U.S. companies and scores of smaller ones selling electronic cigarettes, most of which are made in China. Sales of the products, which barely registered in the U.S. just two years ago, have more than doubled over the past 12 months to an estimated $100 million, according to the Washington-based Electronic Cigarette Association, an industry association formed this spring.

In the mean time, sales continue to be brisk.  Distributers remain in business and we all continue to watch, sign petitions, be outraged, and wait.

Visit Us Now!