Electronic Cigarettes
In 1964 the Surgeon General released “Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service” which detailed the now well-known dangers of cigarette smoking. In the fifty years since that time intense efforts have been made by both the government and private groups and individuals to eliminate cigarette smoking. One of the most recent developments toward that end has been the invention and popularization of electronic cigarettes, better known a e-cigarettes or e-cigs.
Introduced in 2007, e-cigs offer smokers who are addicted to nicotine an alternative to smoking tobacco. A tiny capsule containing liquid nicotine is heated up by a battery, and the vaporized nicotine is inhaled by the smoker. This satisfies the craving for nicotine while avoiding the dangers of smoking tobacco.
We’ve detailed one of the dangers of similar devices previously (“Vape Pens: Surreptitious Smokes,” February 12, 2014). Young people have been adapting these devices to smoke pot in school, right in front of their teachers. However, another danger has arisen in recent years – nicotine poisoning, particularly among children.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in early April which indicated that the number of calls to poison control centers related to the use of e-cigs had risen from one call per month in 2010 to nearly 200 calls per month as of 2014. Dr. Kevin Chatham-Stephen, a pediatrician and an epidemiologist with the CDC and author of the report said, “The rise in the numbers of e-cigs related calls to poison centers leads us to view this as a major public health concern.”
According to the report, the liquid nicotine in e-cigs poses the greatest danger. If the nicotine within the container in the device escapes the capsule, anyone exposed to the liquid can suffer nicotine toxicity. This exposure can be contact with the skin, eye exposure, ingestion, or inhalation.
Those within the e-cig industry pooh-pooh the dangers, citing the similarity to exposure to bleach, many cleansers, or other common toxic substances. They attribute the problem to parenting and educating children what to avoid.
Although the product is aimed at adults, the facts speak for themselves. Nicotine is one of the most deadly and toxic chemicals ever derived from plants. Many types of e-cigs are flavored, making them more attractive to children. Moreover, the nicotine in these devices is easier for children to be exposed to than traditional cigarettes. The result of these factors is the increase in poisoning that has already been observed.
Simply put, e-cigs have simply transferred the dangers of smoking from adults to children. This “solution” to cigarette smoking is poisoning those who don’t have the ability to protect themselves. E-cigs are a “clear and present danger,” and we ignore the threat at the cost of our children’s lives.
#CleanIn2014
