E-Cigarettes: All of the Nicotine, None of the Tar
Despite the dramatic decrease in cigarette smoking over the past decade or so, nicotine addiction is alive and well all over the world. Faced with the knowledge that smoking tobacco can kill you, and those around you, nicotine addicts have switched to more, um, “healthy” methods of nicotine delivery. These delivery methods have evolved over the years from anemic pieces of gum into fully functional cigarette replacements.
When first developed, the replacements were intended to aid an addict in completely kicking nicotine by delivering only a portion of the nicotine the person usually got from smoking cigarettes. Since this smaller dose is effective at handling craving and withdrawal symptoms, researchers believed that a systemized reduction in the amount of nicotine delivered by the gum over time would allow the addict to taper off his dependence on nicotine without the usual unpleasant side effects (having to suffer through unpleasant cravings and withdrawal symptoms is one of the main reasons why addicts return to an unhealthy habit).
Unfortunately, this method of addition treatment requires the nicotine addict to voluntarily follow the reduction schedule; not surprisingly, non-compliance rates are fairly high. Despite the best intentions of developers of nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), many users simply replace cigarettes with a new nicotine delivery method and become addicted to the replacement instead. In fact, a huge industry has developed around providing nicotine addicts with a more socially acceptable way of feeding the beast.
The first nicotine replacement product to be developed was nicotine “gum”; it has been around since the 1960’s. In order to control the rate of nicotine delivery, the nicotine is attached to an ion-exchange resin that releases the nicotine gradually over the course of chewing. Given the widespread popularity of the gum, researchers went to work developing other NRT vehicles. In addition to the gum, nicotine addicts can now get their fix from a patch, a lozenge, a nasal spray and an electronic cigarette. Yes, an electronic cigarette.
Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or personal vaporizers, are battery-powered devices that allow users to inhale nicotine, much like they would when inhaling the smoke generated by an actual tobacco cigarette. Unlike real cigarettes, however, e-cigarettes can be used multiple times and typically have replaceable or refillable parts. Some companies have even developed one-use, disposable versions. Unlike real cigarettes, however, e-cigarettes deliver no deadly tar or carbon monoxide along with the nicotine.
The e-cigarette is designed to look like a real cigarette and the basic components include the mouthpiece, a heating element, a rechargeable battery, and an electronic circuit. Many e-cigarette users prefer this NRT to other methods because it can provide the flavor and actual physical sensation of inhaling on a tobacco cigarette without the smoke. Some users prefer the more discrete version of the device that looks like a ballpoint pen, so when they inhale it looks like they are simply chewing on the end of the pen.
E-cigarettes come in both automatic and manual models. With the manual model, the user must push a button in order to activate the heating element (which produces the nicotine vapor). In the automatic version, once the user inhales, a sensor detects the outward flow of air and activates the heating element. The heating element vaporizes the flavored liquid nicotine solution kept in the mouthpiece; the user then sucks the vapor out.
The automatic version even has an LED light at the end of the device, which gets activated during inhalation and notifies the user that the e-cigarette is on. For safety, the light also travels down the shaft of the device at the same rate that the glow travels down a real cigarette to signal when the appropriate dose has been delivered.
No matter what your thoughts on nicotine, you have to admit that the e-cigarette is truly an ingenious invention. Inside the mouthpiece is a small cup that holds a sponge. The sponge is soaked with nicotine solution which, when heated (the first inhalation activates the heater), is vaporized and picked up by the air flowing through the cup. The nicotine-laden air then proceeds out the end of the device and ends up in the user’s mouth. The mouthpiece of an e-cigarette can either be replaced or refilled with nicotine solution. The heating element, or atomizer, is the most expensive part of an e-cigarette and can last up to a month before it needs to be replaced. Most e-cigarettes use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to operate the heating element. Users can even purchase wall chargers, car chargers, or USB charges to keep the e-cigarette juiced up.
The refillable or disposable mouthpieces hold “e-liquid” or “e-juice”, the nicotine solution that is vaporized during inhalation. The solution is made of nicotine dissolved in glycol or vegetable glycerin – typical food additives. There are many different concentrations and flavors of e-juice available, including menthol, Marlboro, fruit, vanilla and coffee.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers e-cigarettes to be drug delivery devices. As such, the FDA believes that it has the authority to review them for market approval prior to sale under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Recently, the FDA sent warnings to five companies that currently make the majority of e-cigarettes. The FDA alleges that since the companies are marketing the poorly manufactured e-cigs as stop-smoking aids, it is entitled to regulate the manufacture, marketing and sale of the product.
The FDA has chosen to target these specific companies due, in large part, to the type of solutions being used in the products. Evidence suggests that non-FDA approved drugs that are used to treat erectile dysfunction and obesity are being distributed via the e-cig product line to be vaporized and inhaled.
Under the FDCA, a company is prohibited from claiming that a drug can treat a particular disease, such as nicotine addiction, unless safety and efficacy have already been favorably established. The FDA believes that the e-cigarette companies are in violation of the statute, because the claim that the devices help stop cigarette smoking has not been proven. Although the FDA has chosen to target only the top five manufacturers, it has not ruled out a wider ban on e-cig devices.
In January, a federal court enjoined the FDA from attempting to control the electronic cigarette market or prevent them from being imported into the US.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6893B720100910
