Letter to the Editor
Arinola Ohwotsa
211994464
York University
HH/NURS 4516: Development of self: Advanced professional issues Course Director: Sandra Skerratt: RN, MN/NP
Marker/ Grader: Shaina Janmohamed
October 22nd, 2014
23rd October, 2014
To
The Editor,
Toronto Star,
1 Yonge Street,
Toronto, Ontario
M5E1E6.
Dear Editor,
Re: Heart and Stroke foundation urges Ottawa to move quickly on e-cigarettes (2014,Oct.03). I wish to express my support for Heart and Stroke Foundation urging Ottawa to move quickly on regulating e- cigarettes; the same way as tobacco products was regulated, as published by the Canadian Press because of its potential dangers to users.
As a student Nurse that is familiar with the human anatomy,
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When the device is activated by smoking it, vapor is inhaled and the vapor which contain nicotine and propylene glycol has the feature and corporeal feeling of an inhaled tobacco smoke.
Justine Morgan (2014) divulge that Nicotine which is contained in e-cigarettes is an addictive drug that affects the brain, nervous system, and the heart. It also increases blood pressure, causes abnormal heart rate and blood clotting, a leading factor to stroke. Nicotine though may not be harmful if taken within the prescribed limit but narrow the blood vessels (Amanda & Woerner, 2014) and this could lead to stroke and other health issues. Another danger pose by unregulated use of e- cigarettes is that nicotine found in e-cigarettes changes the structure of the brain and lungs which affects the function and responses of the reflexes, increasing ones risk to hypoxia ( Hafstrom O.et.al 2005). Furthermore, in a society that Nursing resources are been stretched and one that depends on the youth for a vibrant tomorrow, it is pertinent that the use and marketing of e-cigarettes should be regulated because young ones are being attracted to smoke e-cigarettes which could further create more medical problems for them. No wonder, health agencies are worried that "nicotine may have a negative impact on adolescent brain development and increase the risk for nicotine addiction that could lead to use of tobacco product" (Schranfnagel
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The Federal Minister of Health Rona Ambrose has taken a positive step toward the right direction by advising the federal standing committee on health to research into the possible hazard and gain of e-cigarettes ( The Canadian Press,2014) Due to the health concern and potential hazard to adolescents the cities of York , Red Deer and Toronto have restricted smoking of cigarettes in open places. This is a well come development that Ottawa can draw from to take steps on controlling e -cigarettes. No doubt, there is an urgent need for the government to regulate the manufacture, marketing and usage of e-cigarettes because the manufacturers of e -cigarettes will not disclose the content of the cigarettes and canisters. No wonder Olivia Rose (2014) concluded that other chemicals and the quantities included in e-cigarettes apart from carcinogen like formaldehyde are unknown. From the foregoing, it is pertinent that the Canadian government regulate e-cigerattes,because consumers don't know how much nicotine or other chemicals exist in them, as well as the potential risk and hazards associated with them.
Yours
Although e-cigarettes are too new to know what the long term effects are, studies have shown that switching from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes can cause withdrawals. “You’re better off with an FDA-approved method of quitting,” (Griffin). The nicotine in e-cigarettes can vary. According to Med-Health.net a pack of cigarettes has 8 to 20mg of nicotine, but only 1mg is absorbed into the body. A heavy smoker could go from 32mg of nicotine (32 cigarettes) to 12mg (12 cigarettes) in a short amount of time which could have some very serious side-effects such as headache, nausea, constipation or diarrhea, falling heart rate and blood pressure, fatigue or insomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, depression, increased hunger and caloric intake, increased desire for the taste of sweets, and tobacco cravings. The risks of using e-cigarettes are not worth using this product.
The food and drug administration has control over e-cigarettes since 2011 and they haven’t been regulating e-cigarettes yet. They have only issued a letter “to electronic cigarette distributors warning them to see's making various unsubstantiated
The profitable business of electronic cigarettes has raised over $3 Billion dollars annually, vastly spread across over 466 brands which have joined the ordeal. Above all, known as a “gateway drug”, electronic cigarettes have claimed the once-ordinary lives of people, specifically to those who have turned from tobacco cigarettes. What is more, scientists have determined that not enough research has been executed to automatically assume the healthiness of e-cigarettes. Despite this, many have claimed that e-cigarettes, are, and will be the new “healthy” drug, so to speak. Provided that e-cigarettes do not release harmful smoke, they are still not safe for one’s health given that not enough research has been performed on them.
John Doe is an 18-year-old resident, Colorado. He’s active in his community and volunteers through the local public library, he’s a genuinely nice guy, and he’s a smoker. A few months ago, John Doe decided that he wanted to minimize his health risks from smoking cigarettes, so he switched to a new alternative: an e-cigarette. Electronic cigarettes contain no tobacco, and vaporize a vegetable glycerol fluid that contains nicotine, mimicking the feeling of smoking a burn cigarette without the tar, dangerous gases, and unpleasant smell (Block). In most states, smokers can “vape” in public places with their e-cigarettes, receiving the nicotine of a burn cigarette without complaint from others. Heavy smokers find that they can use e-cigarettes to gradually decrease nicotine and many use it as a gateway to quit smoking. Yet in the absence of regulation, sale of e-cigarettes to minors is only prohibited in twelve states (Lopes), and this is a definite problem. Adolescents may see vaping as a cool new thing to do and become addicted to nicotine. The lack of regulation in the e-cigarette industry especially contributes to this, as companies create appealing advertisements displaying a variety of new flavors. Furthermore, without Food and Drug Administration (FDA) screening, e-cigarette ingredients are unregulated and this could lead to unsafe or downright harmful products.
An increasing number of physicians and scientists agree that e-cigarettes are a healthier alternative, and they say these products could end a major health problem. The Royal College of Physicians say, "Electronic cigarettes and other nicotine-containing devices offer massive potential to improve public health, by providing smokers with a much safer alternative to tobacco" (Jen Christensen, sec. 4).
As with other such technologies, e-cigarettes don’t neatly fit into regulatory niches. The federal government is struggling to understand how to regulate e-cigarettes and, sadly, is on the verge of making a harmful first step with the FDA’s proposed rules. E-cigarettes are not tobacco products and should not be regulated as such E-cigarettes are a boon for public health because they help smokers quit using cigarettes
The article “To regulate or not to regulate? Views on electronic cigarette regulations and beliefs about the reasons for and against regulations” brought forward on the regulation of vapes and electronic cigarettes. This article shows studies that were taken through online polling of adults from Amazon mechanical Turk. The polls took place in May of 2015. Overall the article is about whether to or not to regulate electronic cigarettes or vapes. As most people disagreed with most of the reasons to not regulate the vapes, most did agree with one idea that should be implied if the regulation of vapes and e-cigs “electronic cigarettes” continued. That was if they continued to be regulated then a label warning exclaiming that the products contain nicotine should be added to all devices and products that go along with it.
E-Cigarette can cause harm especially to your lungs. The lungs are a important part of your body. The lungs are a respiratory system allowing the oxygen in the air to be taken into the body, to get
In conclusion, more Americans need to be aware of the dangers of e-cigs including their addictive levels of nicotine, and harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. Thedailybeast addressed the dangerous of e-cigs to not only the user, but other in this statement ,”Outside the risk of exposure to cancer-causing agents, e-cigarettes have been shown to prove dangerous to kids.” This shows that the dangers caused by e-cigs can indirectly harm others, and is posing as a threat to the user's health and can act as a bad influence toward the youth. This is why americans need to relook at how safe e-cigarettes
For as long as e-cigarettes have been around the market of cigarettes alike, the controversy of whether or not e-cigs should be regulated from advertisement has been alive almost as much as the light of electric cigarettes themselves. To add on to this debate myself, e-cigarettes are bad for the public and should therefore not be advertised on television, radio, or other forms of media devices. These advertisements can influence minors to try e-cigs, influence use of nicotine, and defies the purpose of regulations on cigarettes in general. E-cigarettes are bad for the health of an average human being, and with the advertisement of e-cigs, it influences the people to inject themselves with the many poisonous, harming chemicals in e-cigarettes
As FDA analysis indicated, e-cigarettes contain the same toxic substances and carcinogens found in traditional cigarettes, which contradicts the statement made by e-cigarette advocates that e-cigarettes are safer. Recently, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that about 47.1 percent of the cigarette and e-cigarette exposure-calls to poison control centers are now due to e-cigarettes (Kucinich, 2014). Therefore, I do not think it is reasonable to promote e-cigarettes to the public as safer alternatives to traditional tobacco cigarettes, let alone smoking cessation aids. Additionally, health experts have repeatedly mentioned that e-cigarettes maybe potential gateway drugs for many individuals, particularly the young. Pepper and colleagues (2013) reported that nearly 1 in 5 adolescent males in their study were willing to try e-cigarettes if offered to them; and being a smoker increased the willingness to try e-cigarettes. As teens are highly inclined to try e-cigarettes, extensive public promotion of e-cigarettes may mislead them into thinking that e-cigarettes are safe to use. The false claim may even spark teenagers’ curiosity and motivate them to try e-cigarettes and other tobacco products haphazardly. It is highly likely that the effort to promote smoke cessation through e-cigarettes could create an entirely new problem: e-cigarette abuse in teens. Overall, I take the stand against e-cigarettes. I
Supporters of the FDA’s regulation argue that if we don’t regulate it like tobacco, the tobacco industry will try to use e-cigarettes to hook non-smokers and children on a product that will serve as a gateway to regular cigarettes. This is a bad argument because first of all, there is no proof that e-cigarettes will act as a gateway. Second, no one agrees that children should have access to e-cigarettes but we shouldn’t prevent adults from having access to it.
As stated by Eleanor Roosevelt, “One 's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” Everybody has a myriad choices in life. Some choices are better than others, and some are the worst choices one could have possibly chosen. The choices of one may work in one’s favor, or one’s choices may work in contrariety of one’s goals altogether. Electronic cigarettes, also called e-cigarettes or e-cigs, are an alternative choice to smoking actual cigarettes. Whether e-cigarettes should be regulated is a controversial topic among the people of the world today. A few people withhold the beliefs that electronic cigarettes should not be regulated as regular cigarettes are. It is possible that they believe that the regulation will lead to the prohibition or cease of smoking wholly. However, speaking as a candor person, one may say that these people are blind to the potential harms that the lack of regulation could create and that the lack of regulation may actually be causing electronic cigarettes to work in opposition of the purpose they are mostly used for. E-cigarettes are proven to not to have the same detrimental effects as regular cigarettes, however they are potently harmful, with different and serious consequences. The regulations would not be banning electronic cigarettes; the regulations are working to protect the health and well-being of everyone.
“E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular, particularly among young people” (“E-Cigarettes”). These people argue that the growing popularity of e-cigarettes among teens can increase misuse and accidents with e-cigarettes, putting more young people in danger. However, e-cigarettes are actually keeping young people away from much more dangerous alternatives. “Statistics suggest teens are now more likely to use e-cigarettes than tobacco cigarettes” (“E-Cigarettes”). Tobacco cigarettes are much more harmful to people then e-cigarettes are, and e-cigarettes are driving young people away from tobacco cigarettes. Furthermore, “It is unknown how harmful e-cigarettes are to your health” (“E-Cigarettes”). Although e-cigarettes health effects are unknown, it’s highly likely they are much better for people compared to tobacco cigarettes, especially because they don’t have the cancer causing smoke that tobacco cigarettes have. Without the cancer causing smoke, young people have no risk of getting cancer from using an e-cigarette. Additionally, smoking e-cigarettes costs a lot less than smoking tobacco cigarettes. “The cost of e-cigarettes a month is about half the cost of tobacco cigarettes a month” (“eversmoke”). Although this fact has already been addressed, it’s too important to young people. Young people don’t make a lot of money, so the reduced cost of using e-cigarettes compared to the raised cost of using
On the second study of e-cigarettes they still came up with 3.3 micrograms per cubic meter of nicotine levels in the air. In the study involving smoking regular tobacco cigarettes the amount of nicotine levels were ten times higher at almost 32 micrograms per cubic meter (Reuters, 2014). E-cigarettes did not change the amount of carbon monoxide or other gases in the air and did not produce some particulate matter that regular cigarettes do at about seven times more. In conclusion with this study exposure to nicotine is lower when compared to exposure from tobacco smoke, and nicotine is relatively safer when compared to other dangerous toxicants in tobacco smoke according to Goniewicz (Reuter, 2014).