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E-cigarettes are unregulated, health officials scrutinize use

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Erica Crossen
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill --  E-cigarettes have an allure that have made gas stations and tobacco shops alike sell them throughout St. Clair County. This is not unlike the grip regular cigarettes may have had on generations for decades, whether from advertisements, social pressure, or perhaps claims of being a healthier alternative to cigarettes.

For all the similarities between cigarettes and e-cigarettes, there are some differences that have some concerned about e-cigarettes' use and increase in popularity.

Hannah Williams, a health fitness specialist at Scott's Health and Wellness Center, said, "They are not yet regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and very little research exists on their long term effects on health or use as a quitting aid."

At Scott, e-cigarette users must follow the same rules as if using regular cigarettes. For instance, they must use e-cigarettes in designated smoking areas.

This year, it is estimated that 14 percent of 13 to 17-year-olds were using e-cigarettes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Middle and high school students have shown an increase in the use of e-cigarettes that has doubled in one year from 4.7 percent to 10 percent in 2012.

On August 8, attorneys general from more than half of U.S. states have pressed the FDA to enforce regulation on e-cigarettes and their sales, in the hopes young people would be less likely to start smoking e-cigarettes, according to an Illinois Attorney General press release.
Illinois was among the states to submit a letter to the FDA to restrict the advertisements and flavorings of e-cigarettes, to reduce the appeal to children and adolescents according to public health advocates.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said, "Manufacturers and their advertisers are targeting young people with flashy marketing campaigns," she said, "We appreciate the FDA's first step toward regulating e-cigarettes, but the agency must strengthen its proposal to make sure more young people do not become addicted to nicotine."

The FDA examined a couple of the leading brands of e-cigarettes, concluding the samples did contain carcinogens and other toxic chemicals.

Also, in addition to not being regulated, the manufacturers of e-cigarettes perform little or no quality control. This includes varying levels of nicotine in e-cigarettes labeled as one particular amount of nicotine, and even the nicotine-free e-cigarettes contained low levels of nicotine.
Smokers may use e-cigarettes to get past anti-smoking laws, which could escalate their habit enabling them to use it in more places. This may make quitting even harder in the first place.
E-cigarette users may tell you a different view for how they use them. It may be about how they came to use e-cigarettes, which has been used by some to come down from a conventional cigarette addiction.

"I used e-cigarettes specifically to quit smoking cigarettes," said Senior Airman Jonathan Olson, an Airman stationed at Scott.

"I can decide how much nicotine I want to use."

Nicotine in and of itself is a stimulant, as caffeine is, and both, in an excessive amount can have detrimental health effects. In fact, last year, caffeine withdrawal was added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, just as nicotine withdrawal is listed with some similar effects on the body.
E-cigarette use may seem to some, as similar to purchasing their afternoon coffee.
Olson said for someone who uses e-cigarettes daily it isn't really less expensive, but what you pay for it monthly really depends on how much it is used.  

"There are dozens of options; different tanks and juices," he said, "and there are a whole range of choices in e-cigarettes from high-end to low-end." 

"The comparison between cigarettes and e-cigarettes is in the one common element of nicotine," said Olson.

Williams said, "Nicotine is an addictive substance no matter the delivery method."
Olson doesn't personally believe the FDA regulation would be a negative thing for e-cigarettes, as the industry would still be popular among consumers with regulation, although likely more expensive.

Health concerns for not only young people, but any e-cigarette user, may come out of the emerging e-cigarette market as lawmakers move toward continued research and regulation.

Williams encourages people who smoke to use an FDA-approved aid to quit, along with counseling, and the HAWC is a great place to turn for help, she said.