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.

Oregon bans e-cigs sales

The Oregon Attorney Gneral office has introduced two ordinances that would ban two store chains specializing in travel goods from distributing electronic cigarettes across the state. The landmark settlement would prevent Oregon population from purchasing allegedly harmful devices that were found to contain carcinogens and not regulated by the American Food and Drug Organization.

“If a product or service presents a danger to the health of Oregon residents, we will not hesitate to take measures to ban this product,” declared John Kroger, Oregon Attorney General. “If the retailers seek license to distribute electronic cigarettes they would have to submit peer-reviewed proof confirming their safety.”

The two travel store chains, affected by the ban, Pilot Travel Centers, with seven stores across Oregon and TA Operating, operating two stores in the state, have been selling electronic cigarettes under the brand “NJOY».

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigs are devices which are used to deliver nicotine shots directly to lungs, and resemble traditional cigarettes with a glowing tip and white body. Each device contains a battery, heating element and a cartridge with liquid nicotine and, as it has been recently found, other highly poisonous chemicals. The battery operates the heating element that heats nicotine and delivers it to the user. It even evaporates smoke, containing propylene glycol, to mimic conventional cigarettes’ smoke.

Although the Food and Drug Administration has placed “Import Alerts” warnings on NJOY and other distributors of e-cigs and worked with the U.S. Customs to halt shipments of electronic cigarettes, the sales of these devices keep growing across the nation with an immense speed. The devices are marketed everywhere from the web to TV.

Sales volumes kept growing even despite a warning by the FDA regarding the severe health risks related to the use of e-cigs. According to the FDA examinations, the real amount of nicotine was several times higher in the majority of tested samples than it was stipulated on the cartridge labels.

Analyses also showed that several samples of electronic cigarettes contained nitrosamines – cancer-causing substance. However, when the FDA revealed its findings, the Oregon Attorney General had already started an investigation of the advertising and distribution of electronic cigarettes, and particularly NJOY brand.

The regulation bans the distribution and promotion of the devices across Oregon until receipt of the approval by the FDA or unless the presence of scientific evidence that the electronic cigarettes pose no health risks to their users.

More about E-cigarettes on Youtube

FDA seeks to prohibit sales of e-cigarettes

The American Food and Drug Administration revealed last week that an examination of the device, called electronic cigarettes by FDA scientists showed the warning level of carcinogens and other hazardous chemicals like diethylene glycol, which is used in antifreeze, in the content of electronic cigarettes.

The e-cigs or electronic cigarettes are devices operated by battery and comprising a cartridge with liquid nicotine, flavoring and, as tests showed, other toxic additives. When it is heated by battery it provides user with a mixture of pure nicotine, and other chemicals, turned into a vapor and breathed in by “smoker.”

The devices are heavily advertised as alternatives to traditional cigarettes and distributed to everyone who wants to buy them, including minors. They are selling everywhere, from online shops to kiosks and even in shopping centers. Nevertheless, the electronic cigarettes have not been approved or regulated by the FDA, they do not provide any information regarding adverse effects and warning labels as other smoking cessation therapies, like medications and patches. They even do not bear any health warnings as ordinary cigarettes, concerning the health risks related to nicotine consumption. The electronic cigarettes as well provide different flavors – from traditional flavor of tobacco and menthol to fruit and chocolate flavorings, which lure minors to smoke. The FDA recently banned such flavorings in traditional cigarettes exactly because of this appealing effect.

Public health groups said they have been preoccupied that electronic cigarettes might contribute to the raise of nicotine consumption and thus increase the rates of people addicted to nicotine. Joshua Sharfstein, vice chairman of the FDA invited noted scientists among which were Jonathan Winickoff, M.D., American Academy of Pediatrics president and Jonathan Samet, M.D., director of the Institute for Global Health, to take part in laboratory investigation of electronic cigarettes.

The spokeswoman for the FDA said that the have been very much concerned about the popularity of electronic cigarettes due to the unknown amount of nicotine and chemicals and the way the have been advertised. She stated that no-one from electronic cigarettes’ makers of marketers submitted the products for evaluation of their content.

The FDA’s experts investigated the content of nicotine cartridges from two best-selling electronic cigarettes. In one cartridge, the experts found diethylene glycol, an ingredient of antifreeze, which is hazardous for humans, while in other cartridges scientists found carcinogens. These analyses showed the increased level of nicotine and several other additives, harmful to people who inhale them.

The FDA has prohibited the importations of electronic cigarettes, and testing all samples of seized products, with only half of them meeting the standards of smoking cessation therapies in conformity with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration has been challenged concerning its legal authority over regulating electronic cigarettes in a lawsuit currently in Washington DC Supreme Court.

The FDA asked all consumers and public health experts to report about severe adverse effects or other issue related to the use of e-cigs to a FDA’S Hot-line or online at the official FDA web-site.

Electronic cigs made in China cause anxiety

The World Health Organization is concerned with the growing popularity of electronic cigarettes.
Thanks to its slim shape and glowing red tip, the electronic cigarette may easily be confused with an ordinary one. These so-called healthy cigs are gaining immense popularity in the majority of countries where the Public Smoking Ban is imposed, like it is in the United States or EU member countries. It has also an enormous impact on China, with its 350 million smokers.

Being massively publicized and advertised as a healthier substitute to conventional cigarette and a great instrument in the struggle for giving up smoking, the electronic cigarettes have been seed distributed in many glamorous places like British film awards or Sundance Film Festival.

Since there is no burning, producers claim that there is no harmful mix of nicotine, tar, chemicals and gases as there is in common cigarette which can cause cancer. According to multiply statements of e-cigs manufacturers, due to the lack of smoke, they can be used instead of usual cigarettes and in public places where cigarettes are banned.

The aforementioned statement has urged to become an issue for The World Health Organization experts who made a declaration in September stating that there was no scientific evidence that electronic cigarettes were safe for “human consumption” and healthy alternative for smoking or could contribute to giving up smoking. They also insisted that e-cigarette producers have to stop marketing them in that way.

Timothy O’Leary, a World Health Organization communications officer stated that electronic cigarettes have not been scientifically examined or undergone rigorous tests, unlike other nicotine-substitution therapies among which were chewing gum or candy for oral absorption, nasal sprays or plasters for nicotine absorption through the skin.

The first electronic cigarette was introduced to the large audience in 2004. Its manufacturer the Ruyan Corporation (the name of this company can be translated from mandarin as “like smoking”) has patented its ultrasonic technology, in which nicotine is contained in a cartridge with propylene glycol, the liquid which can be met in the majority of classy nightclubs being evaporated by smoke machines.

When a person makes a drag on the cigarette powered by a small battery, the propylene glycol solution is pumped through the atomizer and comes out as a spray that resembles smoke.