Are Electronic Cigarettes Harmful To Your Health?
As the dangers of cigarette smoking have become well known, many smokers have resorted to various substitutes to their daily pack of smokes. We all have friends or relatives who have tried to “kick the habit” by means of nicotine patches, nicotine chewing gums, herbal remedies, and prescription medicines. Recently, electronic cigarettes – battery-operated devices that have the look, feel, and even taste of a normal cigarette – have been touted as an allegedly “safe” alternative to traditional cigarettes. Hundreds of thousands of Americans looking for their nicotine fix have now taken up smoking these “e-cigarettes” based upon the belief that these devices pose no threat to their health. Unfortunately, there are serious questions regarding the dangers of electronic cigarettes that remain unanswered.
The appeal of electronic cigarettes stems in large part from the fact that smokers inhale liquid nicotine, and exhale a mist of vapor, thus replicating the experience of smoking traditional cigarettes but without also ingesting the tar or tobacco that are present in traditional cigarettes. According to a recent New York Times article, what many e-cigarette users don’t know is that along with liquid nicotine they are also inhaling propylene glycol, a liquid that is used in anti-freeze solutions and in brake and hydraulic fluids. The material data safety sheet for propylene glycol states that chronic exposure of that substance may cause “reproductive and fetal effects,” “central nervous system depression,” damage to cell membranes, and possible seizures. Moreover, there appears to be no evidence that inhalation of propylene glycol over a prolonged period of time is safe, and there are no independent scientific studies demonstrating that electronic cigarettes can help people to stop smoking.
Electronic cigarettes are already banned in Australia and Hong Kong due to safety concerns. And the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has refused entry of shipments of electronic cigarettes coming into the U.S. “These appear to be unapproved drug device products,” said Karen Riley, a spokeswoman for the FDA, “and as unapproved products they can’t enter the
If you have purchased electronic cigarettes, or have been injured by using “e-cigarettes,” please contact us to discuss your legal options.