The great e-cigarette war

[Ford]

the DM reports that

'Juliane Kokott, advocate general to the European Court of Justice, warned that e-cigarettes may act as a ‘gateway’ for teenagers to go on to smoke tobacco. Dr Kokott, the EU’s most senior legal officer, said regulation is needed because of ‘possible risks to human health’......'

and that 1 in 4 ecigs wld be banned under the new EU regs as being too strong...ruling due in march

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3372351/One-four-e-cigs-banned-Britain-year-branded-strong-European-Court-ruling.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

[Ford]

the rags reporting on this article;

 

'Adding to growing evidence on the possible health risks of electronic cigarettes, a lab team at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System tested two products and found they damaged cells in ways that could lead to cancer. The damage occurred even with nicotine-free versions of the products. "Our study strongly suggests that electronic cigarettes are not as safe as their marketing makes them appear to the public," wrote the researchers, who published their findings in the journal Oral Oncology...."Based on the evidence to date," she says, "I believe they are no better than smoking regular cigarettes."'

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20151229/E-cigarettes-damage-cells-in-ways-that-could-lead-to-cancer.aspx

[citizenB]

 

"Based on the evidence to date," she says, "I believe they are no better than smoking regular cigarettes."'

 

Then why are they providing them on the NHS ??

[Ford]

Then why are they providing them on the NHS ??

i suppose its seen as being less harmful according to NHS etc research, and if it stops someone from smoking tobacco....

that med article says they are yet to study it comparatively ie their test result is re being equivalent to someone chain smoking.

it seems though that they are being seen as being of 'some' harm. q is what

[hightail]

From the report itself

E-cigarette, cigarette, and nicotine treatments

E-cigarette vapor was pulled through media using negative pressure, and the resulting extract was filter-sterilized with a 0.2 μm pore-size filter before treating cell cultures. The cigarette-treated media was made similarly using Marlboro Red filter cigarettes, which were determined by the Federal Trade Commission in a 2000 report to contain 1.2 mg of nicotine per cigarette. […]

Treatment media was replaced every three days with 1% e-cigarette extract.

Because of the high toxicity of cigarette smoke extract, cigarette-treated samples of each cell line could only be treated for 24 h

.

(emphasis added)

That should have rung an alarm bell as it is completely inconsistent with Wang-Rodriquez’ claim of equivalent risk and the Telegraph’s headline. The methodology section is very poorly written, but it appears to imply that they measured e-cigarette vapour over days and weeks, but cigarette extract over just 24 hours. The results use an unusual formulation in which the cigarette measures do not really appear as part of the results, but are just offered “for comparison”.

[hightail]

Then why are they providing them on the NHS ??

Probably because they are not relying on a combination of pseudo science and lazy journalism for their decision making process.

[Ford]

the recent Public Health England info ('... e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than smoking.')

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-an-emerging-public-health-consensus

[Ford]

'E-cigarettes have been granted a licence by Britain’s medicines regulator for the first time, opening the door for them to be prescribed on the NHS. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has awarded a licence to British American Tobacco for its e-Voke device that will allow it to be marketed as a smoking cessation aid.....' 'A spokeswoman for British American Tobacco said...“E-Voke uses cartridges containing pharmaceutical grade nicotine.“We are now reviewing the commercialisation of e-Voke."........'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/12079130/E-cigarettes-win-first-approval-as-a-medicine-opening-way-for-prescription-by-the-NHS.html

[Ford]

'Researchers criticise study claiming e-cigarettes may lower chances of successfully quitting....'

 

........A new US study claims that smokers who don’t use e-cigarettes are more likely to quit smoking than those who use them. But experts have been quick to point out the numerous limitations of the study, with the conclusions being at best preliminary or at worst “grossly misleading” according to Professor Peter Hajek, Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit, Queen Mary University of London.....'

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/news-report/2016-01-15-researchers-criticise-study-claiming-e-cigarettes-may-lower-chances-of-successfully-quitting

[Ford]

"Advertisements for … flavoured e-cigarettes could encourage children to try vaping," ITV News reports after a study found children shown these ads were more likely to express an interest in trying flavoured e-cigs...............They found adverts for flavoured e-cigarettes were more appealing compared with those for non-flavoured e-cigarettes – and children said they'd be more interested in going out and buying them. But whether they would actually do this is another matter. This research has only examined attitudes, not behaviour. The good news is the research found adverts for flavoured or non-flavoured e-cigarettes made no difference to the children's opinion of whether or not they'd be more likely to try smoking real cigarettes, regardless of whether or not the researchers showed them adverts......'

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2016/01January/Pages/Are-ads-for-candy-flavoured-ecigs-tempting-teens-to-vape.aspx

 

note that the nhs goes further and details the ins/outs of the reported research

[fad460]

Many of the people beleive that E-cigarettes are not harmful but a recent study tells that they boost up superbug bacteria and weakens the immune system.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/e-cigarette-vapour-weakens-immune-7255870

[hightail]

http://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2015/11/junk-e-cigarette-studies.html

The above link is admittedly the blog of an interested party. It does however give full links and background information to these headline grabbing stories and the reports of scientists who analyse them.

[Ford]

another mednews article report.

'Electronic cigarettes expose the lungs to toxicity, reduce the effectiveness of the immune system and encourage bacterial activity, potentially making superbugs more deadly, according to (mice) research published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine....'

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/305829.php

[Ford]

ecigs as stop smoking aid...?

'Only one-in-six smokers has converted to the e-cigarette, new data reveals today...'

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/e-cig-revolution-only-1-in-6-smokers-has-converted-a6881996.html

 

further reports; e cigs use in pregnancy 'as dangerous'; and e cigs 'shut down/compromise' the immune system..

lots of recent media reports on that.

 

the 'e cig war' seems to be continuing...which side are you on?

[hightail]

http://vapeform.com/vaping-news/new-study-electronic-cigarettes-vapor-has-no-toxic-effect/

[mikeymack2002]

Then when you think it's safe to use an e cigarette this happens http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2016/02/20/man-left-with-third-degree-burns-and-scared-for-life-after-e-cig-battery-explodes-in-pocket/

[hightail]

Yeah - the guy was carrying loose batteries in his pocket, they weren't even in any device but it wouldn't have been a story if they weren't somehow linked to e-cigs.

[Ford]

the DM saying that the nhs might be paying over the odds for prescribing an ecig (nothing new there re paying over the odds )

'Firms making e-cigarettes could be ripping off customers – with research showing refill cartridges are being sold for around £1.50, despite costing only about 4p to produce. This means customers are paying roughly 37 times the cost price, when typically consumers pay around eight times the cost of manufacturing a product. Now campaigners have raised concerns that the mark-up means taxpayers could lose out if the NHS finalises a deal thought to be under discussion for British American Tobacco to supply prescription e-cigarettes....Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘The NHS has a terrible record of negotiating a good price, despite its scale as a buyer...'

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3466652/E-cigarette-rip-cost-NHS-dear-Cartridges-costing-just-4p-make-sold-1-50-each.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

[Ford]

'A ban on e-cigarettes in some public places is likely to win support from the assembly. The Welsh government is concerned e-cigarette use may normalise smoking...'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-35717379

 

plus, ecig prices set to 'soar' as to be reclassified by the EU as a tobacco product for tax purposes.

ibtimes

[Ford]

'partial' ban for ecigs gains further support in wales. bbc

 

a 'safer' ecig being developed!?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3477529/New-safer-e-cigarette-flavor-tobacco-harmful-smoke-developed-scientists.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

[hightail]

Safer than what? Looking at who's behind it I suspect they mean safer than smoking cigarettes.

[Ford]

Safer than what? .

ditto.

looks like is a ciggy (tobacco) but in an ecig format?

[Ford]

'real tobacco' ecigs being tested in Japan, roll out due soon

http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-japan-tobacco-idUKKCN0WV0GQ

[Conniff]

From 20 May 2016 advertisements with the aim or direct or indirect effect

of promoting unlicensed, nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes and e-liquids

will be prohibited on television and radio in the United Kingdom.

 

The BCAP Code is being amended to reflect this prohibition and the ASA

will enforce compliance with it from that date.