E-Cigarettes: News You Should Know

There has been a recent surge of news reports about e-cigarettes touching on regulation (more specifically the lack of it), poisoning concerns, youth targeting and usage, clean air policy, and overall safety of e-cigs as a smoking device. It’s hard to keep up with all that’s happening, but if public health workers are going to catch up to and eventually get ahead of the companies that are pedaling these devices, time is a commodity. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the latest news on e-cigarettes that you should know about:

KTNV Las Vegas, April 25, 2014: "Does smoking e-cigarettes mean trading one danger for another?" The Las Vegas ABC affiliate looks at the dangers of e-cigarettes in terms of poisoning and addiction. Watch the report here.

KLAS Las Vegas, April 15, 2014: In a follow-up to the CDC report on e-cigarette poisonings, KLAS News in Las Vegas spoke to Southern Nevada Health District tobacco control coordinator Maria Azzarelli. Watch the report here.

“Gateway to Addiction” Report, April 14, 2014: Eleven congressmen from around the nation took a closer look at e-cigarette marketing and targeting towards youth, finding that companies are using the same tactics used long ago to market regular cigarettes to kids. The investigative report also points out that the FDA’s failure to move ahead with regulation of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices is putting the nation’s youth at risk. Read the full report here, or read the press release from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

CDC’s Notes from the Field, April 4, 2014: Researchers looked at nationwide calls to poison control centers and found an increase in e-cigarette exposure calls from one in September 2010 to 215 in February 2014. The average number of cigarette-related calls did not increase during this time. Read more in the CDC report here.

 Reno-Gazette Journal, March 31, 2014: The RGJ reported that the University of Nevada, Reno campus will be tobacco free starting August 1, 2015 and that the ban will include e-cigarettes. This is one of the first large-scale policies to incorporate e-cigarettes into a smoking ban in Nevada. Other such policies do exist, including at Reno hospital Renown. Read the article here.

New York Times, March 23, 2014: The NY Times took a look at the business of selling liquid nicotine and the dangers it poses. It notes that while some consider it a fuel for a technology that could help people to quit smoking, it’s also a neurotoxin that can be lethal to children and adults. In addition, the article notes that the lack of regulation means that concentrations vary, ingredients aren’t listed, and packaging isn’t necessarily childproof. Read more online.

Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, 2014: Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights drafted a whitepaper focusing on the research behind the aerosol emitted from e-cigarettes. Often called a harmless vapor by e-cig advocates, the research shows that e-cigarette aerosol contains high concentration of ultrafine particles that can exacerbate respiratory ailments or cause heart attacks. In addition, the aerosol can contain a number of chemicals identified as carcinogens. Read the white paper here.

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