Amazon.com stopped selling electronic cigarettes

The major online store Amazon.com reported to cease up sales of electronic cigarettes on its website. The decision came up as a result of massive criticism from multiple public health organizations, which warned the owners of internet retailer about possible legal actions for simplifying the access to a product that was declared toxic and hazardous for health by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA experts as well revealed the results of the laboratory analysis of electronic cigarettes, showing the devices to contain carcinogens and other toxic substances in the liquid from the cartridges inside them.

After the experts had announced the results of the tests, various health organizations, led by Action on Smoking and Health began calling on the FDA to outlaw the electronic cigarettes and warned wholesalers about their legal liability of selling poisonous products on the legal basis.

Recently, after getting a notification of possible lawsuits from the coalition of public health organizations, popular social network Facebook prohibited advertisements of e-cigs and PayPal reportedly took measures to crack down sales of the devices.

In addition, several countries around the globe prohibited distribution and even possession of electronic cigarettes. Among such countries are Australia, Taipei, Mexico, Canada, Singapore, Israel and Brazil. In August, Oregon became the first US state to ban e-cigarettes, with its steps followed by Connecticut, where the Attorney General filled a lawsuit against distributors of these products.

Currently, California lawmakers are also considering implementation of the ban on e-cigarettes, that could create a chain-reaction for other states, as anti-smoking advocates hope. Many shopping centers, where the electronic cigarettes have been selling, began demanding a quality certificates and liability insurance; whereas the Washington Supreme Court is likely to issue a decision that would uphold prohibition of the importations of e-cigs into the United States.

According to the reports, the administration of Amazon.com has started notifying the merchants about the ban by means of the following letters: “We have banned the distributions of the devises known as electronic cigarettes, components for these devises and products of similar kind. A complete list of products banned from our sites can be found in the attachment for this letter. Amazon.com has the right to delete any product we consider to be inappropriate or illicit for Amazon.com. We are sending this message because we have determined that you are distributing a product we consider to be inappropriate for our site. For additional information, please visit the Inappropriate Products section. To avoid the locking of your account, please avoid listing the prohibited products on our site.”

Electronic cigarettes represent probable jeopardy to consumers, to teenagers who could use the devises because of their tasty flavors, and to all other people, including those suffering from different chronic respiratory diseases and allergies, even if they don’t use the e-cigs themselves, since the devises a producing a vapor containing a mixture of nicotine, unknown chemicals and propylene glycol, which can lead to various infections of respiratory tract.

The FDA experts tested the ingredients contained in cartridges of electronic cigarettes made by leading companies in that segment. The analyses showed that liquid from the cartridges contained diethylene glycol, a toxic substance used in antifreeze and hazardous to humans. In addition other samples contained nitrosamines, chemicals known to cause cancer.

Common questions about E-cigarettes

Although the popularity of electronic cigarettes is growing like a lamplighter, the overwhelming majority of people are still in perplexity regarding these devices. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about electronic cigarettes:

What is an E-Cig?

The electronic cigarette is a device that looks similar to conventional cigarette and even has a LED at the tip that looks like burning when the electronic cigarette is used. Inside each electronic cigarette, there is a battery, a heating element and a cartridge with pure liquid nicotine solution. Some distributors even offer flavored electronic cigarettes, allowing people to select between different flavors, like, for instance, menthol flavor or tobacco flavor.

How to use electronic cigarettes?

Breathing in through the device activates the heating element, which, in its turn, heats a small amount of pure nicotine solution. When the solution is heated, it is delivered by the system to the user, who inhales and thus receives a shot of nicotine. In addition, when the nicotine is heated and inhaled, the LED switches on, simulating the glowing tip of a conventional cigarette and pointing out that the device is working in the proper manner. The device also produces a vapor that also simulates regular cigarettes, but it does not deliver any smoke.

Is E-cig a smoking cessation device or just a new means of getting nicotine shots?

The first electronic cigarettes were created in China several years ago. Their inventors claimed that e-cigs should help people to give up smoking regular cigarettes, because many smokers admit that widely-know nicotine replacement therapies do not help them. However, the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes as smoking cessation devices is still under question, as health officials state that all scientific evidence is yet to come.

Is Electronic Cigarette safe for health?

One of the main components of electronic cigarettes is nicotine. Is nicotine safe?

Is it legal to use electronic cigarettes?

This point brings a major controversy since many countries classify electronic cigarettes in absolutely opposite ways. For instance, the distribution and possession of electronic cigarettes is banned in countries like Australia or Thailand, putting e-cigs in the same row as illegal drugs there. However, in the United Kingdom and several European countries electronic cigarettes are permitted and widely used. As regards the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has halted the importations of electronic cigarettes to the country, however the legitimacy of e-cigs’ usage is still unclear.

At the same time these devices are widely distributed through internet shops and the demand for them is growing, therefore experts urge health organizations to perform the safety test faster.