FDA Warns Of E-Cigarette Risk

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The FDA Warns of Health Risks Posed by E-Cigarettes. Also known as "e-cigarettes," electronic cigarettes are battery-operated devices designed to look like and to be used in the same manner as conventional cigarettes. Sold online and in many shopping malls, the devices generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor, and other chemicals. They turn nicotine, which is highly addictive, and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user. “The FDA is concerned about the safety of these products and how they are marketed to the public,” says Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., commissioner of food and drugs. In the FDA Consumer Update - FDA Warns of Health Risks Posed by E-Cigarettes (pdf), they state that they're concerned about:

• e-cigarettes can increase nicotine addiction among young people and may lead kids to try other tobacco products, including conventional cigarettes, which are known to cause disease and lead to premature death
• the products may contain ingredients that are known to be toxic to humans
• because clinical studies about the safety and efficacy of these products for their intended use have not been submitted to FDA, consumers currently have no way of knowing: 1) whether e-cigarettes are safe for their intended use, or 2) about what types or concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals, or what dose of nicotine they are inhaling when they use these products

For folks in the regulated industries, you'll be interested to know that the FDA has been examining and detaining shipments of e-cigarettes at the border and the products it has examined thus far meet the definition of a combination drug-device product under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

More FDA Information About E-Cigarettes

Previous Posts: Smoking Is Too Expensive - It is time to quit e-Cigarettes In The News (video) Fire Safe Cigarettes Are A Good Thing

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3rd Hand Tobacco Smoke - A Danger To Your Loved Ones

Tobacco smoke contamination lingers even after a cigarette is extinguished – a phenomenon defined as "third-hand" smoke, reports this Science Daily article, Third-hand Smoke: Another Reason To Quit Smoking. It's important to pay attention to this because 3rd hand smoke contains a toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they’re crawling or playing on the floor.

I'm wondering if we'll see any more legislative momentum to put cigarettes and tobacco under the purview of the FDA in 2009. What do you think?

Related Posts:
FDA Authority Over Tobacco - desperately needed

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Beware These Poisonous Recipes!

It turns out that there are some published recipes out that will poison you. This very interesting, comprehensive, and educational ABC News article is a good read for novice chefs, "OOPS: Magazines Recall Poisonous Recipes - Confusion Between Spices and Poisonous Herbs Spells Trouble for Cooks." There are a number of reasons why a simple and elegant recipe can become poisonous, either the published recipe got it wrong, or you as the cook will make an error . . .

1. The dose makes the poison. Toxic substances in small amounts don't matter, but if you put too much in, you get poisoned (e.g., cherry pits).
2. Confusing common names. If you misread, or the recipe incorrectly gets an ingredient name wrong, you might end up using a poisonous substitute (e.g., substituting 'grass pea' instead of the common vegetable pea can cause serious damage).
3. Parts matter. Using the wrong part of the plant can be bad for you. (e.g., green parts of rhubarb).

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Internet Ayurvedic Medicines Contain Toxic Metals

It turns out that toxic metals can be found in Ayurvedic medicines sold online, according to a JAMA article, "Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic in US- and Indian-Manufactured Ayurvedic Medicines Sold via the Internet. (abstract)" Here's what I've learned in doing some reading . . .

1. There are two major types of Ayurvedic medicines: herbal-only and rasa shastra, which is an ancient practice of deliberately combining herbs with metals (e.g., mercury, lead, iron, zinc), minerals (e.g., mica) and gems (e.g., pearl). Rasa shastra experts claim that these medicines are safe and therapeutic when properly prepared and administered.
2. One-fifth of both US-manufactured and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines purchased via the Internet contain detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic. All metal-containing products exceeded 1 or more standards for acceptable daily intake of toxic metals.
3. The research also collected information about claims of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). Among the metal-containing products, 95% were sold by US Web sites and 75% claimed Good Manufacturing Practices.

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