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Other Tobacco Products

Electronic Cigarettes

In 2004, a Chinese company introduced the electronic (or e-) cigarette, a battery powered device that creates a mist from a refillable, flavored nicotine solution.

These devices are made to look like real cigarettes and usually include a battery component, an mist-creating piece filled with liquid nicotine and an inhaler.

When the smoker puffs on the inhaler, the battery causes the tip of the e-cigarette to glow and the heat created by the battery turns the liquid nicotine into a vapor, or mist, of liquid, flavorings and nicotine. The vapor can be breathed in and out by the user, creating a cloud that looks like cigarette smoke.

The e-cigarette is sold as a metal tube that requires refillable containers of nicotine and flavorings. Some of the flavors available include coffee, tobacco, apple, strawberry, banana and bubble gum. The containers are sold in different amounts of nicotine, from high amounts to no nicotine at all.

Health Effects of E-Cigarettes

The e-cigarette has been marketed as both an alternative to smoking cigarettes and a possible stop smoking product. However, at this time, e-cigarettes have not been studied to determine if they might work as a way to help smokers quit using tobacco.

As of mid 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that it has determined that e-cigarettes meet the “definition of both a drug and device under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.” As such, they would have to get FDA approval before being sold.

There are also questions about the safety and effectiveness of the e-cigarette, since they haven’t yet been studied by researchers. Currently, there is no oversight of e-cigarettes, which means that no agency has confirmed the levels of nicotine or other ingredients that may be found in the e-cigarette. The vapor of the e-cigarette that is both inhaled by the user and exhaled into the area around those not smoking has not been found to be safe either.

Until the product can be further studied for possible health risks, the FDA has stopped all shipments of e-cigarettes from entering the United States. As a result of this action, the FDA has been sued by e-cigarette manufacturers and sellers to allow them to enter the county. The lawsuit is now working its way through the court system.

Like other forms of nicotine, the e-cigarettes and nicotine containers can be deadly to children or pets, who risk nicotine poisoning from ingesting the liquid nicotine.

Marketing E-Cigarettes

At this time, there are three large U.S. companies and dozens of smaller ones that sell e-cigarettes, though most e-cigarettes are made in China. Here, the e-cigarette is usually sold as a way to get nicotine in places where smoking is not allowed, although some may sell it as a way to quit smoking. The e-cigarette is typically available online, in mall kiosks, and has even been found in warehouse stores, like Costco.

In the last 12 months, sales of the product in the United States have more than doubled, to an estimated $100 million, as more states and local governments ban indoor smoking and raise taxes on cigarettes.

Sources: American Cancer Society, Prevention and Early Detection. “Guide to Quitting Smoking,” Last Revised May 2009. The Wall Street Journal. “Controversy Swirls Around E-Cigarettes,” June 2, 2009.