Charlottesville Personal Injury Lawyer - carcinogens

Federal Concerns About Electronic Cigarettes Are Growing

Greg Webb — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:17:06 GMT

Because so little is known regarding what is in electronic cigarettes, regulators are growing more and more concerned due to the increase in popularity of the product over the past several years. Preliminary tests carried out by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) show e-cigarettes, which are battery operated tubes that deliver a nicotine vapor instead of burned tobacco smoke, contain some of the dangerous carcinogens that traditional cigarettes do, but at lower levels. The samples also revealed quality-control issues with some of the products, which are marketed the exact same, having wildly variable amounts of nicotine and one of the products even having poison (diethylene glycol) in it; this indicates that regulators do not know enough about how the product is being produced. Due to the study’s findings, the FDA Commissioner has warned consumers to beware.

Since e-cigarettes, or "e-cigs", are being subject to FDA approval as a drug or medical device, they are illegal until they are cleared. Smoking Everywhere, one of the two major importers of e-cigarettes, has since sued the FDA, claiming it should not be regulated like a drug but as a tobacco product. While the company engages in this legal battle, however, its sales representatives at one point claimed the product had been approved and deemed safe by the FDA. An attorney for the company claims this misinformation has since been corrected.

Michael Siegel, a Boston University School of Public Health Professor, says the FDA’s newest consumer warning is misleading because the agency found very low levels of carcinogens in e-cigarettes. Siegel claims these levels were comparable to what is present in nicotine-replacement products, which are currently on the market. He also states the levels of carcinogens in the e-cigarettes are about 1,400 times lower than in Marlboros. The FDA deputy commissioner, however, says it is premature to claim e-cigarettes are safe until regulators know what is in them. If the product is meant to help some Americans stop smoking, it is the manufacturers obligation to present that data to the FDA.

Many anti-smoking advocates are putting pressure on the FDA to officially ban e-cigarettes from the U.S. They claim these and similar products should be taken off the market because the lack of testing to determine the hazardous ingredients in the product would lead to smokers becoming guinea pigs. The public health community is also split over the issue regarding whether to advocate smokers switch to a less harmful product even if they are not completely safe. Though the government has blocked the product from the border, it has not shut down domestic retailers. This means consumers can find the $40 to $100 e-cigarette starter kit in mall kiosks, travel centers and online. So far, the e-cigarettes have also been banned in Canada, Australia, Mexico and Israel.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

FDA Study Identifies Toxins in Electronic Cigarettes

Greg Webb — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:42:28 GMT

According to a preliminary analysis by the FDA, electronic cigarettes contain traces of carcinogens and toxins. These findings contradict electronic cigarette manufacturers’ statements that their products are a safe alternative to tobacco. Manufacturers claim that the battery-powered cigarettes contain nothing more than water vapor, nicotine, and propylene glycol, which is used to create artificial smoke. When heated, the liquid produces a vapor that users inhale.

The FDA analyzed 19 varieties of the cartridges that hold the liquid and two types of cigarettes made by NJoy and Smoking Everywhere. It found that several cartridges contained nitrosamines, tobacco-specific compounds known to cause cancer, and one cartridge from Smoking Everywhere contained diethlyene glycol, a common ingredient in antifreeze. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the FDA’s principal commissioner, reports concerns because, while the FDA knows what’s in the cigarettes, it doesn’t know how those ingredients affect the body when inhaled through electronic cigarettes.

The Electronic Cigarette Association said in a statement that the FDA’s testing was too narrow to be reliable and that its members only sell and market their product to adults. CEO of NJoy Jack Ledbetter said a third party had tested its products and pronounced them an appropriate alternative to cigarettes, but he did not release those findings. He said experts would review both NJoy’s tests and the FDA’s.

Dr. Sharfstein said that electronic cigarettes are manufactured in China and subject to little quality control, adding that the study found nicotine levels to vary in cartridges who claimed to have a standard amount and found the drug in cartridges who claimed to be nicotine-free.

The FDA has called the cigarettes electronic drug delivery devices, turning away approximately 50 shipments of them at the border. It would not comment on whether it planned to ban electronic cigarettes, but public health officials are worried that the cherry and bubblegum flavors are enticing to children and may be easy for minors to obtain. Smoking Everywhere filed a lawsuit against the FDA in April, claiming that it did not have jurisdiction to bar electronic cigarettes from entering the U.S.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Johnson & Johnson Under Fire Over Baby Products

Greg Webb — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:46:52 GMT

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of health, environmental and consumer groups, is demanding that Johnson & Johnson remove tiny amounts of two chemicals, which are believed to cause cancer, from their baby shampoo and other products. They are asking the company to reformulate its personal care products so that by the end of August the products can be free of 1,4-dioxane and any preservatives that release formaldehyde. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these two chemicals are probable carcinogens; formaldehyde is also an eye, skin and respiratory irritant. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics believes the shampoo marketed as the number one choice for hospitals should not contain possible carcinogens.

In tests run by the campaign, an independent laboratory found the shampoo contained about 210 parts per million of formaldehyde. About two dozen other products out of forty-eight tested had similar or even higher levels. The shampoo also had low levels of 1,4-dioxane, which has been banned by the European Union. The chemical was found in three Aveeno baby wash products made by Johnson & Johnson, Johnson's moisture care and oatmeal baby washes, and about twenty-five baby and personal care products made by other companies. The campaign claims there are no safe levels of carcinogens. They also note the fact that these chemicals are not listed on the products labels because they are contaminants, not ingredients. In a letter to Johnson & Johnson’s chief executive, the campaign states many other companies make similar products by using ingredients with no contamination concerns. It is also noted that Johnson & Johnson does not include formaldehyde in the same products sold in Japan since it is banned in that country. Because the FDA does not regulate cosmetic products, the same has not been done in America.

Johnson & Johnson claims the figures the organizations are using can result from making the products safe from bacteria growth and gentle for the use of babies. They further claim many global regulatory agencies consider these trace levels found by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to be safe. Johnson & Johnson claim to take concerns about their products very seriously and would consider meeting with the campaign, though they have no plans to remove the two ingredients from their products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb