Electronic cigarettes: The good, the bad and the policy

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. David Tolson
  • Health and Wellness Center
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Is the electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, good for you or just as harmful as smoking a regular tobacco cigarette or cigar? The following information covers the pros and cons of the controversial e-cigarette and the official AF policy on using the e-cigarette on the installation.

E-cigarettes, first produced in China in 2004, are battery-operated devices designed to look and feel like cigarettes, right down to the glowing tip. They contain cartridges which are filled with chemicals and varying doses of nicotine, from high doses to no nicotine at all. When the smoker puffs on it, the e-cigarette delivers a mist of liquid flavorings and nicotine which is absorbed into the lungs. The e-cigarette is usually advertised as a way for a person to smoke in places where smoking is not allowed.

Supporters of e-cigarettes list the following benefits:
- The ability to deliver nicotine to the user without many of the other chemicals in a regular cigarette.
- The absence of secondhand cigarette smoke.
- The resemblance to regular cigarettes, which provide the tactile and visual sensations that many cigarette smokers have become used to, or even psychologically dependent upon.
- The potential for aiding cigarette smokers who wish to quit.

Although the makers of e-cigarettes state they are safe, there are concerns about how safe it is to inhale some substances in the e-cigarette vapor. Some health concerns related to e-cigarettes are:
- E-cigarettes are not labeled with their ingredients; therefore, it is unclear the amount of nicotine and other substances a person acquires from each cartridge.
- They are manufactured by many different companies without standardized quality assurance in their production processes.
- There is lack of scientific data about their safety, as well as about the effect of secondhand vapor from e-cigarettes.
- There is also lack of scientific data regarding their ability to deliver enough nicotine to satisfy withdrawal effects or their effectiveness as a quit-smoking aid.

The Food and Drug Administration is concerned about the safety of these products and is taking steps to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products. AFI 40-102, Tobacco Use, establishes tobacco policy for Air Force installations. In the 2011 revision, e-cigarettes are included under the definition of tobacco, and thus e-cigarettes are subjected to the same restrictions implemented for cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco.

For those interested in quitting the use of tobacco products or e-cigarettes, the Health and Wellness Center hosts a tobacco cessation class the fourth Thursday of every month. The next course is Feb. 27 from 8 to 11:30 a.m. at the 377th Medical Group. To register, call 846-1186.