WASHINGTON, Jul 24, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
officials said a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples found
carcinogens and toxic chemicals.
Electronic cigarettes, also called "e-cigarettes," are battery-operated devices
that contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor and other chemicals. The
electronic cigarette turns nicotine, which is highly addictive, and other
chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user.
The products do not contain any health warnings comparable to FDA-approved
nicotine replacement products or conventional cigarettes. They are available in
flavors such as chocolate and mint, which may appeal to young people.
Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, commissioner of food and drugs, said the products have
not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval and 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.
In one sample, FDA analyses detected diethylene glycol, a chemical used in
antifreeze that is toxic to humans. In other samples FDA analyses detected
carcinogens, including nitrosamines, Hamburg said.
The tests indicate the products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens
and toxic chemicals to which users could be exposed, Hamburg added.
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