Do Electronic Cigarettes Correlate with Cancer?

A basic understanding of Electronic Cigarettes

By: Mike Kane, Christian Huaccamayta, Chris Basso, & Alex Herrera

What are electronic Cigarettes?

“E-cigarettes, also known as electronic cigarettes and vaporizer cigarettes are devices that emit doses of vaporized nicotine that are inhaled. The device is battery-operated and can also emit non-nicotine vaporized solutions.”

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/216550.php

Creation of e-cigarettesHon Lik - a Chinese pharmacist

They were created in 2003.

He decided to create electronic cigarettes after his father had passed away from lung cancer because of smoking.

http://blog.blucigs.com/this-week-in-e-cig-faqs-what-is-the-history-of-the-e-cigarette/

E-MissionTo smoke them whenever!

It has the same concept as a regular cigarette.

It give the person the same effect as nicotine but without the delivering effects of tobacco in a normal cigarette.

How do e-cigarettes work?There are three main parts:

A rechargeable lithium battery

A vaporization chamber

A cartridge

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/electronic-cigarette1.htm

Continued…The user would inhale like they would normally do on a

cigarette.The inhalation activates the atomizer to heat the liquid in

the cartridge and convert the liquid to a vapor.Inhaling the vapor through the mouthpiece delivers

nicotine to the lungs.The smoker would then exhale the vapor.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/electronic-cigarette1.htm

Impact on Healthy LivingBetter alternative

No second hand smoke

Controlled inhaling

No unpleasant smell

Does it Relate to Cancer?Studies have shown that e-cigarettes can cause short-term lung changes

that are much like those caused by regular cigarettes. “Diethylene glycol was found in a cartridge tested in 2009 by the FDA, but

in 2011 researchers reviewed the data and noted that 15 other studies had failed to find any evidence of this chemical in e-cigarettes.”

“A preliminary analysis of e-cigarette cartridges by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009 identified that some contain tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), known cancer-causing agents.”

“DPA's (Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis) analysis of the electronic cigarette samples showed that the product contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed.”

Current Research Findings

Substances Found in Electronic Cigarettes:• Propylene glycol• Diethylene glycol• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons• *Nicotine• Nitrosamines• Acetone and Xylene• Formaldehyde

“Overall the FDA carefully raises caution on the potential harmful effects of e-cigarettes, HNZ recommends e-cigarette use on the basis of a comparison with the health risks of normal tobacco products, while Demokritos maintains a neutral position and focuses mainly on delivery of results.”

Current Research Findings*Current Research on Electronic Cigarettes on both humans and animals is lacking• Just three toxicological analyses

have been released evaluating nicotine content and impurities

• The FDA has expressed serious concerns about the safety of Electronic cigarettes

• “In the past year the FDA has detained or blocked numerous e-cigarette shipments at the US border because the devices have been classified as an unapproved drug or device, yet they remain available to consumers online and at shopping mall kiosks. “

Current Research ContinuedThere have been three reports put out on Electronic cigarettes:

Report 1-FDA• Every puff has different

amounts of nicotine• E-Cigarettes labeled nicotine

free contained nicotine• Report emphasizes raising

caution on harmful side effects• Found Diethylene glycol and

Nitrosamines

Report 2-Health New Zealand (HNZ)• Label of amount of nicotine

correctly reflected how much nicotine was in cigarette

• Detected Nitrosamines in electronic cigarettes

• Found traces of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

• Recommends Electronic cigarettes over Tobacco products

Report 3-Demokritos• Maintains a neutral

position on product• Did not find many of

the substances the FDA and HNZ found

Where the research has gotten us…The American Cancer Society doesn’t yet know whether

e-cigarettes are safe and effective.In some e-cigarettes, Tobacco-specific impurities

suspected of being harmful to humans – anabasine, myosmine, and β-nicotyrine – were detected in a majority of the samples tested." It is not clear if these chemicals were detectable in exhaled vapor.

Here are the facts and RED FLAGS ! In 2006-2007, e-cigarettes were brought to the United states, but by March

2009, the FDA adds electronic cigarettes to Import Alert 66-41 and directs the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to reject the entry of electronic cigarettes into the United States.

The FDA and some health experts are concerned that the side effects of inhaling pure nicotine have yet to be adequately studied, and are therefore unknown.

The FDA is also concerned about quality control, asserting that some manufacturers may not adequately disclose all the chemical ingredients in their e-cigarettes, and that the amount of nicotine listed on a cartridge label may not match the actual amount in the cartridge. (E-cigarettes are known to have more nicotine in them than regular cigarettes)

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/smoking-cessation/10-facts-about-e-cigarettes8.htmhttp://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/smoking-cessation/10-facts-about-e-cigarettes2.htm

More Red Flags!The U.S. law requires consumers to provide proof that

they are at least 18 years of age to buy tobacco cigarettes, but this law does not apply to e-cigarette sellers.

THEY ARE NOT FDA REGULATED ! The FDA is in the process of having e-cigarettes labeled as a drug-delivery device so they

can be regulated [source: FDA]. Manufacturers, however, say the e-cigarette is simply recreational, and should not be subject to FDA regulation. Two e-cigarette companies, Smoking Everywhere and NJOY, sued the FDA in the district court of the District of Columbia for impounding their products, and won. The judge ruled that "there is no basis for the FDA to treat electronic cigarettes as a drug-device combination when all they purport to do is offer consumers the same recreational effects as a regular cigarette" [source: U.S. District Court].

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/smoking-cessation/10-facts-about-e-cigarettes8.htm

DANGEROUS?

YOU BE THE JUDGE !

References"News & Events." Summary of Results: Laboratory

Analysis of Electronic Cigarettes Conducted By FDA. N.p., 22 Apr. 2014. Web.

“Summary of Results: Laboratory Analysis of Electronic Cigarettes Conducted By FDA” 2009

"VapeOn TV - Safety." VapeOn TV - Safety. N.p., n.d. Web.