The Nexus

Eileen Shi

What are the cool kids doing these days? Puffing on their new and totally hip electronic cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigs” as they are commonly known, have discovered a new market in the United States as smokers look to fuel their addictions. Add the appeal of high-tech electronics to the mix and you get a product that practically sells itself.

Or does it?

Electronic cigarettes resemble traditional cigarettes, but consist of a battery, a heating element and a cartridge containing nicotine. Instead of creating smoke, electronic cigarettes vaporize nicotine so the smoker inhales the drug directly. Although this eliminates the amount of secondhand smoke emitted into the air, electronic cigarettes are still dangerous, even if only to the smoker.

For example, nicotine is recognized as the most addictive drug, even more so than cocaine and heroin. Besides being addictive, nicotine also increases blood pressure and heart rate, which can worsen heart problems. Nicotine can also cause sleep problems because it stimulates the nervous system.

According to Cornell University’s Weill Medical College, nicotine can also cause a buildup of plaque in the arteries, called atherosclerosis, which can also be caused by poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise. This condition increases the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke.

But more dangerous still may be the marketing ploys of electronic cigarette brands, which often claim that in comparison to traditional cigarettes, e-cigs aren’t harmful because they don’t contain tobacco or tar, just nicotine itself. The misleading slogan for one electronic cigarette company, ePuffer, is “Extending Smokers’ Life!”

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) laboratory analysis found that electronic cigarettes contain cancer-causing substances known as carcinogens. The study also revealed that electronic cigarettes contain diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical commonly used in antifreeze.

What’s also concerning is that electronic cigarettes are readily available at places such as shopping malls and on the internet. Teenagers hang out at malls and are constantly surfing the web, giving those who are underage exposure and access to e-cigs.

Not only that, but often these electronic cigarettes are marketed to be even more appealing to young people. E-cigs have attractive packaging, come in a rainbow of fun colors and are often flavored to taste like chocolate or mint.

Traditional cigarettes that are infused with flavors are banned because they often mask cigarettes’ harsh taste and make them more palatable for new smokers. According to the FDA, flavored cigarettes encourage life-long smoking because they further promote the use of cigarettes as gateway drugs.

Flavoring only contributes to the false facade of electronic cigarettes being cool and healthy.

Even worse, most electronic cigarettes do not have the blatant labels that are required on traditional cigarettes. Consumers of e-cigs are not warned of lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and complicated pregnancies. This creates the illusion that electronic cigarettes are safe.

Another fact that electronic cigarette proponents tout is that e-cigs can be smoked anywhere, because they don’t give off secondhand smoke. But there are other pressing concerns.

According to a study by the University of Washington, when children or teens see other people smoking they become more inclined or are even encouraged to smoke themselves.

With the health facts stacked against e-cigs, they are currently banned in Australia, Brazil and Hong Kong. While the FDA has recently restricted some shipments of electronic cigarettes to America, the U.S. needs to take more action against this dangerous product.

In the interest of consumer health, the federal government must impose the same high taxes and mandatory warning labels on electronic cigarettes as they do on traditional cigarettes. The current tax on regular cigarettes is $1.01 per pack.

Medical groups predicted that the latest tax hike on cigarettes will cause one million people to quit smoking and prevent two million more from starting in the first place. Big, bold warning labels similarly discourage potential buyers.

Because although smokeless electronic cigarettes are flashy and futuristic, they can still kill.