The FDA warned yesterday that electronic cigarettes were unsafe and could increase nicotine addiction amongst young people, even increasing the likelihood that they would eventually try real cigarettes.
The devices, which are battery operated, contain cartridges filled with nicotine and other chemicals. When they are sucked on they turn the nicotine into a vapour that the user inhales. They are mostly manufactured abroad, particularly in China.
There are particular concerns over the fact that the cigarettes come in different flavours, such as chocolate, mint and bubblegum. The chairman of the American Academy of Paeditrics, Jonothan Winickoff, said that the flavours would appeal especially to children.
The FDA took a small sample of cartridges from two products marketed by NJOY in Arizona and Smoking Everywhere, based in Florida. They analysed their ingredients and in one, discovered the anti-freeze component diethylene glycol. Several others contained carcinogens like nitrosamines.
The FDA said the results of the tests showed that there was an overall “lack of quality control” when it came to the manufacture of the products. The deputy director of the pharmaceutical analysis section of the FDA, the Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research, said the products could have “safety and quality concerns”.
The FDA has also been monitoring the shipping of the products at the border and so far has seized 50 shipments.However there is confusion over the legality and regulation of the products; the FDA claims that as they are both a drug and a device they should be subject to regulation under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Axt. However the companies marketing the e-cigarettes refute this and in April one launched a lawsuit claiming that the FDA had overstepped its authority in intercepting shipments.
The American Lung Organisation have asked the FDA to ban the cigarettes but supported the FDA in voicing their concerns, saying that the study showed the FDA was “serious about enforcing the law.”