In an unexpected turn, the American Lung Association has all but flat-out told smokers to continue to smoke instead of trying an electronic cigarette to control their nicotine cravings.
The ALA bases their recommendation on a “lack of data” and “only one study being available”. However, there are 11 documented clinical studies on electronic cigarettes that they have failed to take note of. They have chosen to only recognize the study done last year by the FDA. Even though the FDA’s study showed nearly identical ingredients to currently approved smoking cessation products, the ALA wants to keep smokers away from e-cigs until more studies are done.
It is widely recognized that tobacco smoke is the common killer in cigarettes, not necessarily the ingredients themselves. When combustion takes place during inhalation through a cigarette, that is when the carcinogens are created and the tobacco becomes deadly. If you remove the combustion factor, it is a no-brainer to realize the safer element of a product like electronic cigarettes which basically are using theater smoke to recreate the effect of smoking without its risks. In fact, it is already documented that an electric cigarette is 1,400 times safer than tobacco cigarettes. Still, the ALA blindly leads smokers away, encouraging them to return to their deadly devices.
This is not only completely inappropriate, it is a disservice to the public whose health they are supposed to be protecting. Who is challenging the FDA? We know who is standing for them, regardless of their mission statement and long-standing reputation for accurate truths. We hope that this behavior does not continue and will continue to keep a keen eye on them.