E-cigarettes: A healthier smoke?
By Prue Salasky, Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Months ago,
As manager at the kiosk Brilliant Smoke in
"Nicotine is as addictive as cocaine," he said as he supplied a five-year customer with 12-milligram liquid nicotine. "It's difficult to get people to stop."
Mothers bring their sons and doctors send patients who want to quit smoking, he said, though studies don't yet support their widely held claim as a smoking cessation tool.
The e-cigarette business is booming, touted as "a healthier alternative" to smoking by manufacturers and advocates alike.
Still, almost nothing is known about the health effects of their use. Further, there's concern that the use of flavors with catchy names, such as Daydream Cream, Pixie Dust and Cherry Limeade, acts as a lure to youth, drawing them into experimentation and nicotine dependence.
"In truth, we really don't know the implications of nicotine used in this form," said
How they're sold
E-cigarettes come in several forms and range in price from a few dollars for disposables -- "equivalent to a pack and a half of traditional cigarettes," according to the literature from Blu, a leading e-cigarette company -- to hundreds of dollars for vapor systems with rechargeable lithium batteries, USB chargers and a variety of flavored liquids that consumers can mix and match to their taste.
The disposables make up the bulk of the market –– both
After the start-up costs of buying a system, it's significantly cheaper to "vape" than to smoke tobacco.
"It was costing me 12 bucks a day and now I'm spending
Instead of smoking nonstop, he uses his e-cigarette about four or five times a day and nicotine-free he no longer feels sluggish and tired, he said.
Just Breathe proprietor
That's a common claim about liquids that are U.S.-made, but there's no basis for it, according to the agency. "We don't know what that means," said
Vapor systems also come in various sizes and degrees of complexity. One bottle of fluid allows the equivalent smoking time of five cartons of cigarettes, or 50 packs, said Church. The larger the system, he said, the more vapor and taste, as well as the opportunity to mix fluids together. "It's whatever you want to mix in. A girl here mixed up a Skittles concoction," he said.
For first-time users, store personnel typically assess customers' current nicotine intake and start them at a slightly lower level in e-cigarettes.
"They're trying to figure out another way to quit smoking. We coach them to go down to the next level," said
Nicotine versus tobacco
It's the nicotine that concerns health professionals.
"Nicotine can cause serious health issues," said
"The problem is that they're getting pure nicotine at such high amounts," said Cumpston, who reported four cases of liquid nicotine poisoning in toddlers this year at the Poison Center, in addition to a dog rendered comatose, and an adult who reported adverse toxic effects when he kept inhaling.
The nicotine poses a dilemma for many as to whether e-cigarettes should be classified with tobacco. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies can use just three considerations in setting premiums: age, geographic location and tobacco status. Some include e-cigarettes with all other tobacco use in underwriting policies. Absent federal regulation, Optima, the insurance arm of
Dependent on the
Health systems also treat them differently. Riverside, based in
For the most part, it's the lack of information and regulation that concerns health professionals. "My real concern with them is the safety issue," said
Salasky can be reached by phone at 757-247-4784.
An e-cigarette glossary
Atomizer: heats up e-juice and creates the vapor that's inhaled and exhaled
Cartomizer: combination of atomizer and cartridge in one
Cartridge: houses the e-juice or liquid
Disposables: Ready-to-use e-cigarettes that are the approximate equivalent to 1 1/2 packs of cigarettes; not rechargeable
E-juice/e-liquid: water-based liquid that may contain nicotine and flavoring, but also contains propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine
Tip: end where vapor is inhaled
Tube: main console of vaporizer
Vaping: Using an e-cigarette
Vapor systems: include the e-cig, a rechargeable battery, an atomizer and cartridges or cartomizer with a variety of flavors, a wall charger and USB charger.
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