Asociación en defensa del consumidor

[fedago]

por alternativas libres de humo de tabaco (CASAA por sus siglas en inglés) envió este comunicado que me parece importante compartir con ustedes para tener mayor información científica fundamentada.
Lo pongo tal cual, en inglés como fue publicado.
SaludOS

Dear Board of Health

The Wheeling-Ohio County Clean Air Regulation 2011 seeks to "minimize the effects of tobacco smoke on the general public in enclosed public places." The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) urges you to delete the last sentence in item "K" in "§ 1003 Definitions." Smoking bans were enacted for the purpose of protecting non-smokers from the potentially harmful effects of second-hand smoke. But e-cigarettes emit NO smoke and pose NO known health risks to users or nonusers. The devices produce a vapor by heating a tiny droplet of liquid.

CASAA is a non-profit organization that works to ensure the availability of reduced harm alternatives to smoking tobacco products and to provide the public with truthful information about such alternatives.

There are enormous differences between smoke and vapor. Smoke is created by the process of combustion. Setting tobacco on fire creates tar, carbon monoxide, airborne particulates, dozens of carcinogens and thousands of other hazardous chemicals. Inhaling these substances in smoke is the cause of 99% of tobacco-related diseases and deaths.

Vapor from an e-cigarette does not contain any of these substances. Vapor, while resembling smoke, is not a product of combustion but rather the product of the process of condensation. Dr. Murray Laugesen of Health New Zealand tested e-cigarette vapor for over 50 cigarette smoke toxicants and found none. Dr. Laugesen stated, "Relative to lethal tobacco smoke emissions, e-cigarette emissions appear to be several magnitudes safer. E-cigarettes are akin to a medicinal nicotine inhalator in safety, dose, and addiction potential." [1]

Dr. Michael Siegel of Boston University School of Public Health reviewed the available evidence on the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes-including the testing conducted by the FDA in 2009-and concluded that there is no justification for banning the indoor use of e-cigarettes based on potential harm to bystanders. "A preponderance of the available evidence shows them to be much safer than tobacco cigarettes and comparable in toxicity to conventional nicotine replacement products." [2]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on April 25, 2011 that it will regulate products made or derived from tobacco, including electronic cigarettes, as tobacco products under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The FDA did not, however, state that it considers electronic cigarettes to be the same as smoked tobacco cigarettes, nor did it state that the Agency would regulate all products identically. [3]
The majority of consumers use e-cigarettes as a complete replacement for all their tobacco cigarettes, and most of the rest use e-cigarettes to reduce the number of cigarettes per day they smoke. These products are improving the health of their users, and could save the lives of many more smokers-provided their use is not discouraged. [4]

Very truly yours,
Theresa A. Whitt, MD
CASAA Medical Director

References:

1. Laugesen M. Health New Zealand. Poster Presentation at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco conference, Dublin, April 30, 2009. http://www.healthnz.co.nz/DublinEcigBenchtopHandout.pdf

2. Cahn and Siegel. Electronic cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy for tobacco control. Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 0197-5897 Journal of Public Health Policy 1-16. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/centers-ins ... e.jphp.pdf

3. US Food and Drug Administration. Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHea ... 252360.htm

4. Heavner K, Dunworth J, Bergen P, Nissen C, Phillips CV. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as potential tobacco harm reduction products: Results of an online survey of e-cigarette users. Tobacco Harm Reduction 2010 Yearbook, Chapter 19. http://tobaccoharmreduction.org/wpapers/011v1.pdf

[RichterBelmont1]

Vaya, grandiosa revision por parte de la CASaa, se ve bastante serio y confiable, gracias por compartir fed

[Fixlyob]

Cierto mi estimado Fedago, te volaste la barda con el articulo, ojalá pudiéramos hacer algo así aquí en México.

Saludos

[Ariel_MX]

Y las ligas:

CASAA (The Consumer Advocates For Smoke-Free Alternatives Association):
http://casaa.org/

ECCA UK (E-Cigarette Consumer Association of the UK):
http://www.eccauk.org/

NVC (National Vapers Club):
http://www.vapersclub.com/