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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

Cigalikes – img21366

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There are two different styles of e-cigarettes available in the market. E-cigs that look like technologically advanced pens and smart phones and e-cigs that look and feel much like a traditional cigarette. It is under this latter category that brands such as NJOY, Premium Ecigs, Play Vapor and Real Feel belong.

For many heavy smokers, every detail of the smoking experience from the way the cigarette feels in their hand, to the taste and smell of the product, to the way it burns the throat, to how they ash it contributes to their smoking pleasure. Some studies have shown that if these sensations are removed that smoking satisfaction decreases.

In tempting these heavy smokers to switch over to e-cigs, many eCig brands are trying to mimic as much of the taste and feel of conventional cigarettes as they can. For instance both Real and NJOY are so closely designed to imitate a traditional cigarette that they include a faux gold ring, cartridge color and a tip that resembles glowing embers. NJOY and Metro eCigs are also designed to be the same size as a conventional cigarette. NJOY manufacturers are also working to get the eCig to weigh the same as a conventional cigarette.

For many heavy smokers, eCigs miss the mark because they don’t produce a throat hit, the burn at the back of your throat when you smoke. While eCig manufacturers are getting better at imitating this feature of conventional cigarettes too, for the moment it still isn’t there.