Brad Kirsch 1

Brad Kirsch

Like every normal school day, Richard got up early and drove to school. It was

something he did frequently, and he was confident in his ability to drive. However, today

Richard noticed a smoky haze coming out of the hood of his car. He pulled over and opened the

hood, but had no idea what could be wrong with his vehicle. Eventually, Richard decided to call

his mechanic friend Blake for help. Thanks to this experience, Richard had to admit that, like the

average person, he didnt know much about the car he used every day. There are many things

that the typical person uses every day but doesnt comprehend. Not many people understand the

growth in usage of e-cigarettes, their possible dangers, or even the current e-cigarette regulations.

Until recent years, e-cigarettes simply havent been popular enough for government

entities to need to have guidelines for them. Because of this lack of regulations, e-cigarette usage

has exploded. Minors and adults alike are attracted to e-cigarettes because of their low prices. In

fact, according to a 2016 issue of the Journal of Family Practice, a regular e-cigarette user may

spend about $740 a year while a daily smoker may end up dropping about five thousand dollars

annually on the habit. Cheap pricing is certainly a reason that some choose to smoke e-cigarettes,

but many also select it as a healthy alternative to smoking. This is because there is no tobacco or

actual smoke in the process of smoking an e-cigarette. Its no wonder e-cigarettes are the most

commonly used smoking product of middle and high schoolers. This sudden popularity of e-

cigarettes has also arisen from the belief that they help smokers quit. E-cigarettes are claimed to

be used to abstain from smoking by almost four-fifths of smokers, as observed by Kelsey

LeVault and others of the Journal of Family Practice. Because of this belief and many other

factors, e-cigarettes have seen major usage growth in recent years.

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Just as there are many plausible reasons that e-cigarettes have become more

commonplace, there are many possible dangers to using them. Whereas its the tobacco and

smoke that are lethal in cigarettes, its whats in the water vapor that makes the difference for e-

cigarettes. No expert is sure of all the chemicals that make up e-cigarette vapor, but everyone can

agree that nicotine is an ingredient. Experts believe that the nicotine used in products regarded as

safe such as e-cigarettes can rationalize nicotine addiction and therefore serve as a gateway to

regular smoking. In fact, a University of Pittsburg study shows that a much higher percentage of

e-cigarette smokers end up smoking cigarettes than nonsmokers (Sifferlin). The second-hand

aerosol may also have effects on the surrounding people and environment, but without further

research this is unprovable. There are also questions about the consequences of e-cigarette

cartridges; each refills flavor has its own combination of chemicals, each with its own possible

effects. When e-cigarette users refill their e-cigarettes, they expose themselves to potentially

deadly metal particles and cartridge substances. Among these chemicals are formaldehyde,

acrolein, and hydrocarbons, but without further research the amount of these toxins and their

implications are unknown. This is just one of many concerns of the possible dangers of using e-

cigarettes.

Despite the many risks associated with smoking e-cigarettes, there arent many

regulations on them yet. Until recently, e-cigarettes simply werent widespread enough for the

Food and Drug Administration, the FDA for short, to pay much attention to them. Without any

federal guidance, businesses have been left on their own to choose how to regulate e-cigarette

usage in the workplace. Most employers have chosen not to take any chances, as a 2014 survey

by the Employers Associations attested that e-cigarettes were banned just like regular tobacco

products by eighty two percent of public institutions (Linkhorn). Eventually the FDA was
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pressured to step in, but it lacked knowledge on the harmfulness of e-cigarettes as well.

Consequently, in May of 2016 the FDA chose to set e-cigarettes under the same rule as all

tobacco products affected by the original Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

of 2009. This rule forbids e-cigarettes from being sold to anyone under the age of eighteen, as

well as preventing them from being distributed for free or in vending machines. Obviously, the

FDAs establishment of such a rule without proving that e-cigarettes are as dangerous as

cigarettes has met backlash from both sides of the topic. Some people think the FDA should

leave e-cigarettes alone unless smoking them is proven harmful, while others embrace the rule

and still others think the FDA should crack down even more. Ironically, the FDAs new rule did

not mention e-cigarette flavors, which are more likely to contain dangerous chemicals than the e-

cigarettes themselves. Regardless of whether the rules are necessary, there are few regulations on

e-cigarettes, but there are likely more coming.

As the public comes to gain crucial knowledge about the sudden growth and harmful

effects of smoking e-cigarettes, more precise regulations will arrive as well. The sooner the

smoke clears around the mystery surrounding e-cigarettes, the healthier and safer we can all be.
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Works Cited

Cigarettes Vs E-cigarettes: How Does the Experience (and Cost) Compare? Journal of Family

Practice, vol. 65, no. 6, June 2016, p. 383. Health Reference Center Academic,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=HRCA&sw=w&u=la74598&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA4575

62052&it=r&asid=3c4b65937aead1100e89ddbcafc8c685. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.

LeVault, Kelsey, et al. E-cigarettes: Whos Using Them and Why? Journal of Family

Practice, vol. 65, no. 6, June 2016, p. 390. Health Reference Center Academic,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=HRCA&sw=w&u=la74598&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA4575

62053&it=r&asid=f3079c55379cf3480c1b78b96d720faf. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.

Linkhorn, Tyrel. Policies on Puffing E-cigarettes at Work or in Public Are Cloudy. The Blade

(OH), 2 Mar. 2014, Badgerlink, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType

=cookie,ip,cpid&custid=s6269778&db=n5h&AN=2W62691551189&site=ehost-

live&scope=site. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.

Sifferlin, Alexandra. E-cigarettes Are a Gateway to Tobacco, Study Says. Time, 11 Sept. 2015,

Badgerlink, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,cpid&

custid=s6269778&db=mih&AN=109411420&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 1

Nov. 2016.