It seems my curiosity about some of the emerging trends in our neighborhoods is shared by many of my readers.  The post I did this past Friday about ‘gaming’ machines in Texas was very popular and received several comments online and offline.  This week I’m exploring the emerging trend of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and “vaping.”

In many of the same convenience stores where you find the ‘gaming’ machines you will find a display of e-cigs.  One of the stores I frequent has an entire display filled with various kinds of devices and all sorts of ‘juice.’  (Juice is the liquid that is vaporized by the e-cig for the user.)  So what is an electronic cigarette?  Introduced to the U.S. market in 2007, it is a battery powered device that vaporizes various liquids that contain nicotine, flavoring, and other substances.  Let’s start with a section about regulation…

Regulations? We Don’t Need No Stinking Regulations

As you might have guessed, there are really no regulations in most states regarding e-cigarettes and the liquid that is used in them.  Because the e-cigs contain no tobacco they are not subject to U.S. tobacco laws.  This also means that in most states they can be purchased without proof of age, especially online.  (More on this later.)  Only e-cigarettes specifically claiming to be therapeutic devices for the cessation of smoking are regulated by the FDA.  Most cities allow the use of e-cigarettes in places where traditional tobacco cigarettes are banned.

Many of the e-cig devices are manufactured in China without any regulation by U.S. authorities.  Television station KGTV in San Diego did an investigative report on e-cigarettes this month and worked with the scientists at the University of California Riverside, who were among the first in the nation to analyze e-cigarettes.

Using test equipment in a controlled lab, scientists tested two popular brands of e-cigarettes.  The “Smoking Everywhere Platinum” is manufactured in China and distributed across the U.S. out of Florida.  The vapor from that device was collected and placed in a centrifuge and spun.  The result was a small metal pellet mostly made of tin, but also containing oxygen, copper, and nickel.  Researchers concluded that the tin most likely came from the solder used on the wires of the e-cigarette.  Researchers also tested a Mistic e-cig that was purchased at a local drug store.  No solder joints were used in this product so the only findings were low concentrations of copper, calcium, and potassium.

The variance in just these two devices is enough to clearly demonstrate the health risks involved in this new and unregulated area.  The vapor is made of nanoparticles, some small enough to go from the lungs straight into the bloodstream carrying with them toxic chemicals and metals.  Many vapor shops make their own ‘juice’ on site with medical-grade nicotine (the same as in the patch) and food-grade flavoring additives.  The company referenced in the KGTV story also uses vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol to allow the liquid to vaporize in the device.  Among other things, propylene glycol is also used in aircraft de-icing fluid and the manufacture of plastics.  In most areas there is no regulation of the ‘what, how, and who’ of manufacturing e-liquid.

What About the Children?

In a brief report from the CDC issued September 6, 2013, the results of the 2011 and 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey were discussed.  The report found that smoking rates among high school and middle school students had doubled.  You can read all the data here, but as a sample, students who had used an e-cigarette at some point in high school increased from 4.7% in 2011 to 10.0% in 2012.  The NYTS found that smoking rates were near an all-time high among students from current generations.

Many e-cigarettes use marketing techniques that have been outlawed for the traditional tobacco cigarette industry.  The use of cartoon characters, kid-friendly graphics, and pleasant flavors all seem to favor e-cigarette use by a younger market.  Regulation on selling to minors varies from store to store, city to city, and state to state.  Some states are working to require age verification for e-cigarette purchase, as are some cities and counties.  This January 30, 2014 Fort Worth Star-Telgram article details the stance of various cities and school districts on the topic.

Parents should also note that e-cigarettes can come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Some are clearly e-cig devices, but sometimes they are made to look like a standard pen or even a USB drive.  E-cigarettes do not leave a strong odor on the clothes, person, or breath like a traditional cigarette.

Concluding Thoughts

Currently there is a boom in “vapor shacks” with new stores popping up every month in local cities.  Some Texas cities and counties have started developing ordinances that will regulate the number of stores within the city limit or the activities of the store.  A lot of these stores use the colors purple and bright green on their exteriors and quite often use neon.  Some stores also have flashy items on hand, like a local store that has a limo for various promotional events.

This post wasn’t written to give a Christian perspective on e-cigarettes, but I will share a few thoughts as a minister and a Dad.  At one point, tobacco cigarettes were considered to be healthy.  Now we know the health impact of the almost 4,000 chemical present in most cigarettes, and the undeniably grave negative impact on health.  The impact of nanoparticles from unregulated e-cigarettes is yet to be seen.  Whether e-cigarettes act as a gateway to get younger kids into smoking tobacco cigarettes also remains to be seen.  I would strongly advise any young person among the youth that I work with to avoid these devices.  As a Dad, my children would not be allowed to use these devices and would be warned strongly about the potential health impact.  I would stay away from e-cigarettes and vapor shacks!