Electronic Cigarettes, Personal Vaporizors, and the Politics against them.
Simulated Use: Nicotine and tobacco Specific Impurities by Head Space GC-MS (HSGS-MS) and sparging apparatus HSGC is likely to be less sensitive than the GC-MS technique that takes advantage of injecting all of the soluble components and then volatilizing them at 280 C; however, the head space analyzer can beset to a specific temperature to mimic what may be volatilized during use of the products.
The temperature of the heating element in each e-cigarette was determined by inserting a thermocouple and then activating the e-cigarette by drawing air through it. These temperatures ranged from 40 to 65 C. HSGC-MS analysis was conducted at 60 C to simulate the temperature that would be encountered during activation of an e-cigarette.
Whole Cartridges: Diethylene Glycol An aliquot of each methanol extract prepared in the Detection and Quantitation of Nicotine by HPLC-UV analysis was transferred to a vial for GC-MS analysis. Samples were screened on an Agilent 6890 with a 5975 MSD operated initially in full scan ode and later in SIM mode using the chromatographic parameters from a USP monograph procedure (Reference 5).
These products are marketed and sold to young people and are readily available
online and in shopping malls. In addition, these products do not contain any
health warnings comparable to FDA-approved nicotine replacement products or
conventional cigarettes. They are also available in different flavors, such as
chocolate and mint, which may appeal to young people.
The FDA’s Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis analyzed the ingredients in a
small sample of cartridges from two leading brands of electronic cigarettes. In
one sample, the FDA’s analyses detected diethylene glycol, a chemical used in
antifreeze that is toxic to humans, and in several other samples, the FDA
analyses detected carcinogens, including nitrosamines. These tests indicate that
these products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic
chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed.
Taken at beginning face value, with just a quick scan and not a lot of time to analyze it, this statement should send shivers down your spine. Ooooo - scary. They're vaping antifreeze! Toxic! Carcinogens! But think..... look....... read between the lines of this statement. Note how limited this is - and how misleading. Here is, to quote a famous orator, the rest of the story..
diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans
What they fail to mention is that in their testing, they found only 1 out of the 19 cartridges sampled to be contaminated with this particular compound, and then, the concentration was less than 1%. Further, they also fail to mention that DEG is occasionally found in trace amounts in PG, the bulk of what's in the nicotine juice. This has not effected the FDA's label of "Genenrally Regarded as Safe" on PG.
This is called spin. The careful crafting of a statement designed to lead the reader to an opinion that you, the writer or producer of the statement, wish them to have.
the FDA analyses detected carcinogens, including nitrosamines.
And the rest of the story on this comment? If you were to test the FDA-approved NRT gums, lozenges, and patches, you would find comparable concentrations of the same nitrosamines, because the nicotine comes from the same source - tobacco.
Can anyone say double-standard? Methinks I smell a rat.
And, doing further research, the control subject they used in these tests? They used the Nicotrol inhaler as their control subject - a product designed by big Pharma, intended for short term use only, and only available by prescription. Not, in my opinion, a comparable control. Instead, logically, I would think the control subject, the product that the PV should be compared against, is the product it is designed to replace......cigarettes. Is that too much to ask for?
Face it, America.... the regulatory agency that is responsible for your health and well-being in regards to the foods you eat and the drugs you take, who is supposed to be a neutral, "justice is blind" kind of agency, is using deceptive and manipulative practices to sway your opinion to one they wish you to have, just like the big corporations in their advertising practices. They are NOT acting in the best interest of public health, irregardless of what the "company line" may be. That begs the question of who's interests they ARE protecting.
To say that I am disgusted with my government at this point would be an understatement. To say that the FDA has an irrational fear of the E-Cig, and an unspecified, unstated goal to an unnamed entity is as clear as the writing on this page to me. This blatent skewing of available data, of suppressing accurate information to allow the American Consumers to make quality, informed decisions, is as irresponsible and dangerous as yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre.
Smoking is evil.
Smoking will kill you.
Smoking also kills those around you with second-hand smoke.
These 3 declarations are the silver bullets in the smoking gun (pun intended) held in the arsonal of the anti-smoking groups arrayed against anyone excercizing their rights to choose, of their own free will, to smoke or to not smoke.
The campaigns of the past 20-30 years were necessary for a number of reasons. The corporate tobacco companies did, indeed, bend or downright break the rules of common decency in pursuit of the almighty dollar. That needed to be (and has been) exposed as snake-oil salesman skullduggery.
Tobacco consumers did need to know exactly what risks they were taking in their vice. Public awareness did need to be increased on the potential dangers of second hand smoke, and rules did need to be put in place for the betterment of the common population. All these goals have been met, or are on their way to being completed.
For that, I say, the anti-smoking leagues have done their jobs well. Children, even before formalized schooling, are coached on the dangers of smoking. They are bombarded with this message continually, each and every day of their lives. Adults, young and old alike, are aware of the risks inherent in this product and its usage.
So, what's all the continued screaming and yelling about???
After all, this is still a free country.....at least it was the last time I checked. I still can choose where to go to work, what to do at that job in terms of personal effort, and wether I want to buy a house with my hard-earned money or blow it all on new hats. I can choose to ingest alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, an aspirin, or a Monster Burger (Can I have a double order of the special cardiac-arrest chili-cheese french fries with that, please?). I can decide wether to allow my weight balloon to 210, or sweat it down to 150. Good choices and bad alike are arrayed as in a buffet, with me at liberty to pick and choose from amongst the options.
So now, why, when a new innovation hits the marketplace, am I being told that I cannot do this, because the Government (of which I was part of the process to elect) tells me they don't know precicely what it will do to me? Why has this been barred from the menu when so many other choices, equally bad, remain?
The reasons are vast in their multitudes, as to why my beloved PV's are on the front line, heading for a marketplace removal by my Government. Some are headliners, shoved into the public's eye for effect, and far more are behind the curtain, cowering from discovery. The first, strongest, and most effective reason is public perception, brought on and stroked to a fever-pitch by the anti-smoking groups. From my declarations above: Smoking is Evil. This sentiment has been woven tightly into the weave of public perception, and smokers have gone from admired all the way down the social ladder to reviled and persecuted.
Smokers, people. I'll say it again: SMOKERS. The consumers. The users of the products. These are the people that society has chosen to vilify.....NOT the corporate tobacco giants. These monoliths continue to prosper and whisper in the ears of our elected leaders. Altria will have advisory members on the board of the FDA as they hammer into place new regulations regarding tobacco and nicotine products. The Kennedy/Waxman bills, recently passed by both chambers of congress (and due to cross Obama's desk soon) saw to that. Small wonder that many are calling this legislation the "Altria Earnings Protection Act."
Why? Tell me, why have the consumers been handed this heavy bill to pay, and not the giants in the industry?
Why can't innovation and brilliance be allowed to find another, cleaner, safer, better alternative????
I don't have the answers here friends, but I'm very good as coming up with the right questions and my own theories.
There are a lot of sub-issues and behind-the-scenes power plays arrayed in the Tobacco Wars. Lots of money, too....but I'm not going to follow the money trail yet. That one's been done to death, and starts to take on a "conspiracy theory" twist that I've no wish to follow.
So.....
Sub Issue #1 - the anti-smoking groups.
Very few people realize this, because it came about in a time before the infomation explosion that is the internet, but back in the 70's there was formed a group of people who disliked smokers. Mainly, yes, I'll admit, because smokers were demanding their rights to smoke, anywhere they wanted, irregardless of who they bothered with their habit, and the govenrment was on THEIR side.
This group was called ASHES - the American Society to Harass and Embarass Smokers. Their goal - pretty self-evident in their name - the prohibition of tobacco and the demonization of all who use it.
And, to give fair notice, there is NO evidence on the Web to corroborate this.... I've done extensive research on this small fringe group, and turned up nothing...nada...zilch, but I wasn't surprised. This happens all the time: fringe groups like these usually start very small and very QT - then when they gain momentum, they shift their public image to one less aggressive, and bury the origins.
The only reason I know about this group is because I happened to be exposed to a news article when I was growing up regarding it. This small group and their hard-core hatreds of smokers is the forerunner of today's anti-smoking groups.
And, 30 years later, they've nearly realized their goals. Smokers are 2nd class, sub-humans with few rights and many faults, ready to be tossed aside to moulder in the stinking gutters, pitifully begging passersby "hey, buddy, got a light?"
Now, because of the way our Government wishes to present itself to its American voters, there won't be an outright prohibition of tobacco, but that's going to be:
Sub Issue #2: Washington's public face
Stay tuned......
First and foremost, here is the link to the news article found within the electronic pages of Slate.com, and the basis of this blog post of mine.
http://www.slate.com/id/2219690
I do wish to commend Slate for a well-constructed piece. This article brings home several questions all consumers of Electronic Cigarettes are asking. Unfortunately, the ones with the answers we seek, namely our government officials in the FDA, are not offering up any answers except the standard tripe statements which have had all of us consumers on edge for the past months, some I've already addressed earlier in this blog, and some more yet to be debunked.
An excerpt from the article:
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 groups say e-cigarettes have yet to be proven safe and that kids may be attracted to the products, some of which come in flavors like chocolate and strawberry.
"Nobody knows what the consumers are actually inhaling," says Erika Sward,
director of national advocacy at the American Lung Association.
The boldface emphysis is mine, and what I want to take a closer look at. Nobody knows what we are actually inhaling? I know. That's an easy answer - Do I win the Double Jepardy Trophy???
Let's just take a look at the old ingredient label, shall we? Totally Wicked is based in the UK, and takes its certification standards seriously. I trust them to manufacture a quality product to UK standards. In my bottle of E-juice, there are exactly 16 ingredients....in order of volume, the top 4 are:
But, what are these 4 big ingredients? Let's take them one by one.
Propylene Glycol (PG) - the biggest chunk of stuff in my vape, is used in various preparations, including theatrical smoke machines, prescription inhalers and cough syrups, and is an additive in cigarettes and food products, such as artificial flavors. PG is GRAS (generally regarded as safe) by the FDA, and the MSDS shows only minor throat irritation by inhalation.
So, the largest portion of the product that I am inhaling is already used in other vaporization techniques, in inhalers used by asthmatics, and in the food I eat. Does this sound like a dangerous substance?
And, there's more. Back in the 1940's, a scientific study was conducted using a military base and a children's hospital ward. The experiment was on the properties of PG as a germ killing air sanitization substance. You guessed it, they vaporized PG and pumped it into the air in the children's ward and the military bases' barracks, monitoring the occupants for various symptoms. Here's the link: http://www.ajph.org/cgi/reprint/36/4/390.pdf Their conclusion: PG vapor in the air does not comprise any health risks, and was shown to reduce the amount of airbourne infectious agents already present in the air. A germ-killing vapor.
Curiously, in the 60+ years since this study, there have been no studies to prove this suposition wrong. In 2007, the EPA re-registered PG for an air sanitizing agent in hospitals, restaurants, restrooms, mass-transit facilities, and others.
Conclusion - of the liquid in my PV, the bulk of it is approved by various government agencies already as an inhalant, and may actually be beneficial in killing germs already in my body.... Oh, yea, let's ban this dangerous stuff - FAST!
Vegetable Glycerin (VG) - this is the next biggest chunk of stuff - and is used, again, in food products all over the world.....the glycerin I have seen, and purchased, in a craft store was marketed to extend cake frosting. It is made from vegatable oils. Again, for commercial sale to anyone with a couple of bucks, this is a food product and, as such, is safe for human consumption. Dangerous? Unknown? I'm thinking the answer to that one is, again, NO.
Water (good old H2O) - Unless you are on the bandwagon to ban dihydrogen monoxide, the only danger to water is drowning if you jump in over your head....
Nicotine - The studies on what nicotine does to the body are long, complete, complex, and easy to find. Nicotine is an approved drug by the FDA for usage in smoking cessation as an over the counter product.
The flavoring ingredients I'm going to not worry about at this point, as their concentrations in formula are too low to investigate.
Well, there you go. This is what we're inhaling. Simple, logical, easy. And, in my opinion, its certainly cleaner than walking down the street during rush hour and inhaling the exhaust fumes from a bus or car.
My question to these "public health groups" is: I want to know why you have a hard time connecting the dots? I'm not a research scientist, a chemist, a "smoking cessation expert." How is it that I can do a bit of research and come up with this, and you can't.
The answer, of course, is these bully organizations don't want to connect the dots, they want to remove the product. Period. Which means, the agenda they have put forth to the public is not the agenda they are following.
Follow the logic, if nothing else.
