Times Union: Commentary — E-Cigs Aren’t as Safe as Industry Wants You to Think

The Times Union published commentary by Theresa Zubretsky, community engagement coordinator with Capital District Tobacco-Free Communities. Titled “E-Cigs aren’t as safe as industry wants you to think,” the article explores the myths and facts surrounding electronic cigarettes, known as e-cigarettes.

From the article:

Another common assertion is that vapes are much safer than combustible tobacco, a claim based on a Public Health England report from 2015 that based its claim on the results of a 12-person multidisciplinary team, convened by a UK charity, that used a method of analysis widely criticized by medical experts. An editorial in the highly regarded, independent medical journal The Lancet called the research “extraordinarily flimsy;” an editorial in the British Medical Journal pointed out that there isn’t nearly enough data available on these products to reliably rate their safety.

Hugo Destaillats, a chemist in the Indoor Environment Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, summed up the current state of what we don’t know about e-cigs this way: “Vaping is effectively a toxicological experiment being carried out with millions of people around the world. … There may be risks that are only revealed with time.”

Click here to read the complete commentary.