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Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising

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Manufacturers – img19347

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Most of the electronic cigarettes (eCigs) in the market today are manufactured in China. While the Food and Drug Administration proposed regulations in 2014 that would require all makers of eCig products to provide details of the manufacturing process, at present, the manufacturing process operates with little oversight.

Advertisements by eCig manufacturers show rows of sterile benches with people in masks and gloves working on the devices. The advertisements focus on the cleanliness of the assembly line and is meant to reassure eCig businesses as well as a concerned public about the safety and sterility of the products.

Despite claims from eCig brands and manufacturers about stringent manufacturing guidelines being followed, scientific studies have hinted at poor manufacturing methods. A recent scientific study found the presence of metal and silicate particles in eCig aerosol. The authors reported that some of the heavier metallic particles in the aerosol were from the “solder-joints” of the eCig. 1 News articles have reported on eCigs catching fire because of faulty wiring. 2

Following concerns over the manufacture of these devices in China, some of the leading eCig brands have moved their production to the United States. Last year, Mistic and White Cloud shifted their productions back home. Among the leading tobacco manufacturers, Reynolds America, which manufacturers Vuse, is the only company to have a manufacturing unit in the US. Other tobacco company branded eCigs including Lorillard’s Blu, and Altria’s Mark Ten manufacture the device in China and assemble the produce here in the US.

1. Williams M., Villarreal A., Bozhilov K., Lin S., Talbot P. Metal and silicate particles including nanoparticles are present in electronic cigarette cartomizer fluid and aerosol. PLoS ONE 2013; 8: e57987.

2. NY Times. China’s e-Cigarette boom lacks oversight. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/business/international/chinas-e-cigarette-boom-lacks-oversight-for-safety-.html.

Alcohol – img18554

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A patently obvious device used by e-cigarette (e-cig) companies to attract teens is the promotion of youth-oriented flavors. In its flavored product lines, e-cig manufacturers have far exceeded the flavorings used by the combustible tobacco industry. Almost every flavor addictive available in the market is available as a vapor juice. With many e-cig manufacturers allowing consumers to pick and mix their own flavorings, the possibilities are endless.

e-cigs and vapor juices are available in a number of alcoholic flavors including beer, pina colada, mojito, margarita, brandy, whiskey, gin & tonic, amaretto, wine cigar, and sangria. By advertising alcoholic flavored e-cigs and vapor juices, e-cig manufacturers are appealing to teenager to break two adult taboos at once — alcohol and smoking — in a single activity.

Flavored cigarettes and flavored tobacco have long been held as a gateway product for children and teens. There is now growing concern that the use of flavored e-cigs by youth could lead to them experimenting with regular cigarettes. In a recent study, researchers at UCSF who analyzed data from the 2011 and 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that adolescents who used e-cigs were more likely to smoke cigarettes and less likely to quit smoking1. In another study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found rates of e-cig use among U.S. youth more than doubled from 2011 to 2012, with 10 percent of high school students admitting to having used e-cigs. Almost 76% of youth who had tried an e-cig had also tried a regular cigarette. Altogether, in 2012 more than 1.78 million middle and high school students nationwide had tried e-cigs2.

With the Federal Drug Administration opting not to ban flavored additives, advocates fear that flavored e-cigs will serve to entice a new generation of kids to become addicted to nicotine based products. Some public health advocates are calling flavored e-cigs the “Trojan horse” of nicotine addiction.

1. UCSF: E-Cigarettes: Gateway to Nicotine Addiction for U.S. Teens, Says UCSF Study. Available at https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/03/112316/e-cigarettes-gateway-nicotine-addiction-us-teens-says-ucsf-study

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). E-cigarette use more than doubles among U.S. middle and high school students from 2011-2012. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p0905-ecigarette-use.html