S
Shingen Takeda
Guest
Published: Saturday December 4, 2010 MYT 12:33:00 PM
Updated: Saturday December 4, 2010 MYT 12:42:22 PM
Study: Electronic cigarettes pose health risks
LOS ANGELES: Electronic cigarettes, which are increasingly used worldwide, are said to be unsafe and pose health risks, a new study suggests, reported China's Xinhua news agency. To determine the health effects of e-cigarettes, researchers at the University of California (UC), Riverside evaluated five e-cigarette brands and found that the design flaws, lack of adequate labeling, and several concerns about quality control and health issues.
They conclude that e-cigarettes are potentially harmful and urge regulators to consider removing e-cigarettes from the market until their safety is adequately evaluated. The findings were reported in EurekAlert.org, a website of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Unlike conventional cigarettes, which burn tobacco, e- cigarettes vaporize nicotine, along with other compounds present in the cartridge, in the form of aerosol created by heating, but do not produce the thousands of chemicals and toxicants created by tobacco combustion.
Nothing is known, however, about the chemicals present in the aerosolized vapors emanating from e-cigarettes. "As a result, some people believe that e-cigarettes are a safe substitute for conventional cigarettes," said Prue Talbot, the director of UC Riverside's Stem Cell Center, whose lab led the research.
"However, there are virtually no scientific studies on e-cigarettes and their safety. Our study - one of the first studies to evaluate e-cigarettes - shows that this product has many flaws, which could cause serious public health problems in the future if the flaws go uncorrected."
The findings from the study include: Batteries, atomizers, cartridges, cartridge wrappers, packs and instruction manuals lack important information regarding e-cigarette content, use and essential warnings; e-cigarette cartridges leak, which could expose nicotine, an addictive and dangerous chemical, to children, adults, pets and the environment.
Currently, there are no methods for proper disposal of e-cigarettes products and accessories, including cartridges, which could result in nicotine contamination from discarded cartridges entering water sources and soil, and adversely impacting the environment; and the manufacture, quality control, sales, and advertisement of e-cigarettes are unregulated.
"More research on e-cigarettes is crucially needed to protect the health of e-cigarette users and even those who do not use e-cigarettes," said Kamlesh Asotra, a research administrator at the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Programme (TRDRP).
"Contrary to the claims of the manufacturers and marketers of e-cigarettes being 'safe,' in fact, virtually nothing is known about the toxicity of the vapors generated by these e-cigarettes. "Until we know any thing about the potential health risks of the toxins generated upon heating the nicotine-containing content of the e-cigarette cartridges, the 'safety' claims of the manufacturers are dubious at best," Asotra said. - Bernama
