By Kailey Franklin, staff writer
One of the newest fads in the United States is electronic cigarettes, known to most people as e-cigs. Some people view e-cigs as a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, or as a way to quit smoking.
The problem with this is the newness of e- cigs. Not enough research has been done to determine how safe or dangerous this new drug is, and what research that has been done isn’t promising to those wanting that safe alternative.
Earlier this year, a doctor with the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens, Greece, Konstantinos Farsalinos, tested 159 samples of “e-juice,” the cartridges for an e-cig, for a chemical called diacetyl. About 70 percent of those contained the chemical and about a third contained similar chemicals to diacetyl.
Diacetyl is a chemical that can cause inflammation in the bronchioles, airways in the lungs, and destroys them. When the body tries to heal, the scar tissue builds up and restricts the airways even further. The damage is irreversible and the disease is called bronchiolitis obliterans. Researchers at the University of California found that e-cigs have high levels of nanoparticles, which can also trigger inflammation and can be linked to asthma, stroke, diabetes and heart disease.
Chemicals in e-juice also have the potential to turn into carbonyls, which include cancer- causing agents such as formaldehyde.
Most researchers have come to the conclusion that e-cigs are not the safe alternative that they claim to be. Most research says that they are the lesser of two evils.
Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate e-cigs, there are no for- mal warnings or disclaimers about the ingredients in the e-juice.
“That worries me,” said Jaasiel De La Cruz, a MedSci junior. “I wouldn’t want someone I cared about to do that to themselves.”
Not everyone agrees, though, especially on whether e-cigs should be FDA regulated.
Mishael De La Cruz, a Military academy senior, was one of those who disagreed.
“The FDA shouldn’t need to regulate it, because you should read into it before you use it. You should know what you’re buying,” De La Cruz said.
Jada Moore, a comprehensive junior, didn’t think it would make a difference if e-cigarettes were regulated.
“It’s common sense that smoking is bad for you. Regulating it wouldn’t change anything,” Moore said. “If people want to smoke, they’re going to smoke.”
Rachael Schuldt, a comprehensive freshman, thought that regulation would definitely make a difference.
“They should warn people about the dangers,” said Schuldt, who also said that a large part of her family uses them to help quit smoking. “I had no idea, and no one in my family knows that either.”
In April 2014, the FDA proposed regulations that would ban the sale of e-cigs to minors, and would require that manufacturers disclose ingredients, register with the agency and require warning labels on products.
The reasons that people use e-cigs vary. Benjamin Evans, Military Academy senior, said he uses them because he believes them to be environmentally friendly. Moore said her mother used them because e-cigs and the supplies for them are cheaper than buying traditional cigarettes.
Whatever the reason, the sales for e-cigs are skyrocketing.
Product sales were estimated to hit $1.7 billion last year, according to the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. Ii-Lun Chen and Corinne Husten, who work for the Center, predict that sales may exceed those of traditional cigarettes within 10 years.
About 1 in 5 smokers have tried e-cigs and so have 10 percent of high school students, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the government’s annual drug use survey, Monitoring of the Future, more teens are trying e-cigs than they are trying normal cigarettes.
The American Lung Association released a statement on e-cigs stating that the organization was anxious about the dangers of using the product.
“While there is a great deal more to learn about these products, it is clear that there is much to be concerned about,” the statement said. “Especially in the absence of FDA oversight.”