News / Health & Wellness
E-cigarette Dangers
Electronic cigarettes are often used to make kicking the habit easier, but FDA officials warn that they carry new dangers of their own.
Individuals in treatment or recovery may turn to legal substances to help them stay clean, with caffeine and nicotine being the most popular choices. Others try to kick the habit during or shortly after the rehab process, swearing off coffee and cigarettes.
For those who depend on electronic cigarettes or “e-cigarettes” as they’re known, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced that “a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.”
How E-Cigarettes Work
Electronic cigarettes are battery-operated devices that generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor and other chemicals. They turn nicotine, which is highly addictive, and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user. But unlike regular cigarettes, the product doesn’t contain a health warning.
“The FDA is concerned about the safety of these products and how they are marketed to the public,” said Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., commissioner of food and drugs.
An FDA release added, “Because these products have not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval, at this time the agency has no way of knowing, except for the limited testing it has performed, the levels of nicotine or the amounts or kinds of other chemicals that the various brands of these products deliver to the user.”
Tests performed at the direction of the FDA indicate that these products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed.
If you or a family member is struggling with an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number, 877-345-1887. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
