The Oregon Attorney General is suing electronic cigarettes importer, Florida-based Smoking Everywhere Inc., for selling e-cigarettes marketed as being safer than regular tobacco cigarettes.
Attorney General John Kroger filed the lawsuit a week ago, the same day that Suffolk County on Long Island, N.Y. banned sales of e-cigarettes to minors -- both the Oregon and New York moves are the first of their kinds in the country.
Most e-cigarettes are imported from China by companies that claim they are safe since no smoke is generated or inhaled, only nicotine in water vapor. However, a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration test of 19 e-cigarette brands found more than half contained cancer-causing substances, as reported by Ethic Soup.
"It's my duty to protect the public from products that are falsely advertised as safe," said Kroger (pictured below), according to the Associated Press. Both Oregon's Kroger and Jon Cooper, majority leader of the Suffolk County Legislature in N.Y. said that another concern is the flavors offered with e-cigs, like bubblegum and chocolate, which attract teenagers and even younger kids.
Two large U.S. importers of e-cigarettes, Smoking Everywhere Inc. and Sottera Inc., have sued the FDA in U.S. District Court In Washington, D.C., stating the agency does not have authority to regulate their product.
In the Oregon complaint, the A.G. states that other nicotine delivery devices, including smoking cessation devices, must be approved by the FDA, which demands "product manufacturers submit competent and reliable scientific evidence that demonstrates that a product is safe and effective for its intended use."
The resolution adopted by the Suffolk County Legislature in New York contains similar wording, banning the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under 19 and also restricts their use in public places that currently bar tobacco products, including bars and restaurants.
In a surprise occurrence on Aug. 14, there was a fire in a shipment of 1,000 e-cigarettes, in the cargo compartment of a plane after it landed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Each cigarette contained a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The world's largest pilots union wants bulk shipments of lithium batteries and products containing the batteries immediately banned from passenger and cargo planes because they can start a fire, reports the Associated Press.
"The evidence of a clear and present danger is mounting," said Mark Rogers, director of the Air Line Pilots Association's dangerous goods program. "We need an immediate ban on these dangerous goods to protect airline passengers, crews and cargo."
In addition to e-cigarettes, other products which use lithium batteries include laptop computers, cell phones and cameras. The union's concern is with cargo containing multiple batteries, either loose or inside products. When a battery short-circuits, it can catch fire and then ignite other batteries.
Hopefully, the fact that electronic cigarettes are dangerous is finally catching fire, despite the millions of dollars spent and false claims by manufacturers and distributors of e-cigarettes. Whether nicotine comes with smoke or water vapor, the cancer-causing chemicals in cigarettes -- electronic or regular tobacco -- can kill you. Don't choose either and live.
TO READ "E-CIGARETTE FOLLOW UP: INHALE THIS -- 'BA-BYE' " CLICK HERE.
TO READ "HEY HEY FDA: WHADDAYA SAY ARE E-CIGARETTES SAFE, EH?" CLICK HERE.
TO READ "FDA WARNS: E-CIGARETTES CONTAIN HARMFUL TOXINS, CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICALS AND ANTIFREEZE COMPOUND" CLICK HERE.
by Visionary Sharon McEachern
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