Leading Researchers Urge FDA to Regulate E-Cigarettes Lightly

TUSTIN, CA--(Marketwired - Dec 19, 2013) - With the FDA still delaying announcing their plans for e-cigarette regulation, a group of researchers and public health experts has offered support to a letter to the regulator compiled by a leading e-cigarette website. Providing numerous pieces of scientific research, the letter argues that given the vast disparity between the undeniable harms associated with tobacco use and highly probable health benefits associated with switching to e-cigs, regulating them identically is senseless. The letter suggests a set of reasonable manufacturing standards, aiming to protect the variety and quality of products currently proving successful.

The letter -- addressed to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg -- opens by calling on the regulator to divorce itself from any ideology and act upon the best scientific evidence. This point is followed with an outline of the existing chemical and toxicological research into e-cigarettes, underlining the overwhelming conclusion that e-cigs are vastly safer than cigarettes. Even the FDA's own analysis of e-cigarette cartridges actually provides evidence in favor of this conclusion.

It then addresses the fallacious viewpoint argued by the Attorneys General in their letter: the notion that e-cigarettes are attempting to lure youth into tobacco addiction. The CDC research is cited as evidence by the Attorneys General, but the inadequate definition of "current" user in the research -- and the fact that very few non-smokers have ever been found to use e-cigs -- means that teen usage isn't an issue at present.

Tobacco product regulations are disproportionate, according to the letter, which suggests light regulation, ensuring accurate labeling and nicotine content as well as clean manufacturing facilities, but without impacting on the currently available variety of e-liquid flavors and devices.

The letter is signed by Dr. Lynne Dawkins (University of East London, UK), Dr. Riccardo Polosa (University of Catalina, Italy), Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos (Onassis Cardiac Research Center, Greece), Professor Gerry Stimson (Knowledge - Action Change) and Christopher Snowdon (Institute of Economic Affairs), and was compiled by EcigaretteReviewed.

To view the letter, please visit: http://ecigarettereviewed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Electronic-Cigarette-Regulation-Letter-to-the-FDA.pdf

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