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The 10 Dangers of Using Ecigarettes, and How to Overcome Them

By admin

Some people are questioning whether electronic cigarettes are safe, because of the current opposition from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  So let’s take a closer look at the safety factors.

1)  Electronic cigarettes have not been fully tested.

The FDA says that ecigs should not be sold in the United States, because they have not been fully tested.

But electronic cigarettes have already been extensively tested for toxins in New Zealand.  They are already in wide use in European countries.  In fact, they’ve been around for about four years now.

And electronic cigarettes definitely appear to be the lesser evil, when compared to regular tobacco products.  They do not contain the 4000 dangerous toxins found in regular cigarettes.  They only contain nicotine, and harmless food additives.  They do emit vapor, but not the deadly tar associated with regular cigarettes.

2) The FDA has also cited minor impurities in some electronic cigarettes.

But they failed to mention that these impurities are no greater than those that have been found in some nicotine patches.  This is a minor, sporadic problem which can occur from time to time with any nicotine product.

Furthermore, the FDA has no legal authority to regulate tobacco products, but HAS been granted the power to regulate electronic cigarette products.  So it looks like they are objecting to them simply because they can.

3)  Ecigarettes should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

This one is true.  However, this is ALSO true for smoking regular cigarettes.

4) Most electronic cigarettes do contain nicotine, which is addictive.

But nicotine is not really harmful to the body if used in moderation.  There are even some foods and some plants, other than tobacco, which naturally contain small amounts of nicotine.

It is possible to ingest a legal overdose of nicotine, but this is certainly not likely in normal practice.   One would have to spill a large amount of nicotine directly on the skin before it presented a real danger.

And other substances in the home can be just as dangerous.  For example, you could encounter a legal overdose from one of your prescription drugs; from certain herbs or vitamins (like Vitamin A); or from drinking liquor, if you really drank in excess.

5)  People could overdose on nicotine.

There is some truth in this, but it is highly unlikely.  If you are mixing your own liquid nicotine, then you do need to pay attention to dosages, and make sure that your ecigarette cartridges do not contain more than an 18 mg strength of nicotine.

This is a wise safety precaution, which most people seem willing to follow.  If you purchase a liquid that is a higher strength, say 36 mg, then the mixture should be diluted before you smoke it.

6) Authorities are leery about people controlling their own nicotine dosages, and mixing their own nicotine formulas.

This is a valid concern, but it doesn’t seem any more dangerous than rolling your own tobacco cigarettes, controlling your own prescription medicines, or preparing your own herbal remedies.

In my opinion, government should not be interfering.  But if they must do so, then they should at least make ecigarette products available by prescription.

7)  Some sweet candy nicotine flavors might attract children to smoking.

8)  Liquid nicotine can be dangerous if spilled on the skin.

True.  You should be careful not to spill the liquid on your skin.  But if you do spill nicotine liquid, you can simply wipe it off your skin quickly, and then wash the area with soap and water.  You wouldn’t want to leave the liquid on your skin, because nicotine can be absorbed through the skin very quickly, and you could actually suffer a lethal overdose.

Although this sounds dangerous, people don’t seem to be having a problem with spilling.  They either use an eyedropper to dispense liquid nicotine, or they buy it in a dropper type bottle that dispenses one drop at a time.

And we all face many possible dangers like this in the home every day.  Cleaning solvents and glues can be misused.  Even certain foods can be fatal if not used properly.  So, again, this is not a good argument for government intervention.

9) You must keep liquid nicotine away from children, as it could be lethal if a child should drink it.

Caution is strongly advised.  But this safety factor should not be a major problem for most people, especially if you take care to only purchase liquid nicotine products that have the child proof caps on them.

While we should definitely be careful, most of us already use numerous products in our daily lives that can be similarly poisonous — liquid bleach, for example.

10) Electronic cigarettes can sometimes emit faint odors, which can irritate people with chemical sensitivities.

This would be highly unusual, since the ecigs do not actually burn anything and do not emit actual smoke.  Most people cannot detect any odor on your clothes.

There is a chance that you will want to avoid using a specific liquid flavoring if someone in your household has an allergy to something like peanuts or menthol.

To summarize, you should always follow the necessary precautions in order to use liquid nicotine products safely.  Just treat them with the same caution and care that you would use for your prescription drugs, and weigh the dangers against the very real benefits you are getting.

The biggest advantage is that electonic cigarettes offer the chance to step down your nicotine intake or eliminate your nicotine addiction for good.

Even if you NEVER reduce your nicotine intake, at least you won’t be ingesting the 4000 other poisons that you used to calmly accept when you smoked regular cigarettes.  It’s no wonder regular cigarettes have proven extremely dangerous to your lungs, your arteries and your heart.

And don’t forget that, with ecigs, you are completely eliminating secondhand smoke for your children and pets — smoke that is just as deadly as if they were smoking directly.

There’s another incredible advantage for elderly folks, too.  Since ecigarettes do not have any real flame, they cannot start fires when someone falls asleep smoking.    And they present no danger around oxygen tanks.

It’s true that there are some safety concerns with liquid nicotine products, but they pale in comparison to the safety issues we face with traditional cigarettes.

The new electronic cigarettes may have a few minor drawbacks, but they are definitely a step in the right direction!

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April 17th, 2010 | Tags: , , | Category: Health Cigarette

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