The typical electronic cigarette looks no different than a traditional smoke at a distance, only it weighs about as much as a heavy pen. The devices have been available for years, but haven’t been noticed much until the beginning of this year, said Rebecca Ryan, director of health promotion for the American Lung Association in Vermont. Currently few, if any, regulations govern the devices, she said. Megan Surdam, 21, of Woodford, who works at the Beverage Den & Smoke Shop on North Street said the den has sold about 100 PureSmoke starter kits. The kits sell for a little over $50 and come with an “atomizing cartridge,” an “atomizing device” and battery components. The cartridge looks like a filter and screws into the battery pack, which is painted white to look like the paper wrapping on a traditional cigarette.

The cartridges deliver a dose of nicotine, the addictive chemical found in tobacco smoke, when the user inhales off it, said Surdam. With the PureSmoke variety, the tip lights up to simulate a lit cigarette. The cartridges sell for $30 and are roughly equal to a carton of normal cigarettes.

Most people who buy them have heard about them someplace else, she said, and are trying to use them as a quitting device.

“They work really good if you are committed to it,” she said.

The e-cigarette’s role as a quitting tool and its status as a tobacco product are the root of the questions. “Our position is we are with the Food and Dug Administration’s (FDA) position that the product is a drug delivery device, not a tobacco product,” said Ryan.
In April, the lung association, the American Heart Association, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network sent a letter to the FDA urging it to ban the sale of e-cigarettes until regulations could be imposed on their safety and restriction their availability to children. The letter accused e-cigarette manufacturers of making false claims as to the product’s safety.

Sheri Lynn, Tobacco Control Program Chief for the Vermont Department of Health, said there are no FDA regulations of e-cigarettes, which raises concerns about consumer safety. She said carcinogenic substances have been found in some of the e-cigarettes, especially the ones manufactured overseas, and while the risk to others from second hand smoke may be negated, there is still concern over the person using the product.

The PureSmokes at the Smoker’s Den don’t contain tobacco, and legally could be sold to those under 18.

“Store policy for us is we wouldn’t sell it to anyone under 18, just like we wouldn’t sell a non-alcoholic beverage to anyone under 21,” said Jim Brown, manager of the Smoker’s Den.

Brown said the e-cigarettes are not designed to be smoking cessation devices, but are cheaper than traditional smoking and because they only produce a light vapor when the user exhales, can be used in places where smoking isn’t allowed.

“They are growing in popularity,” he said.

Brown first heard of them from customers who were interested, then read up them in trade magazines. He said his current supplier deals with PureSmoke, LLC, a California company, which was part of the reason he ordered that brand after doing some research. Brown said he heard of concerns about ones made overseas and wanted an American company that would back the product.

Tina Zuk, of the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont, said her organization has not approached any lawmakers about legislation regarding the e-cigarettes but is keeping a close eye on them. She said the fear is children will use them and move on to cigarettes.

How prevalent their use has become is difficult to determine, said Lynn. They are new enough not to have been added yet to surveys asking youths and adults about their tobacco usage.

Gwen Hannan, who runs the Quit-in-Person branch of the Vermont Quit Network at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, said a few of her clients have mentioned the product to her. “It’s wishful thinking that this is something that will give them all of the joy, but none of the pain,” she said.

She said there have been no studies on the effectiveness of the e-cigarette as a quitting tool, and added that there are multiple methods of getting free products such as patches, gum, and lozenges if a person wants to quit smoking. She said the e-cigarettes feed the addiction but appear to do nothing to treat it.

June 7, 2010, benningtonbanner.com

Tobacco producing giant Philip Morris International (PMI) broke ground on its new regional tobacco warehouse facility in a 50,000- square meter total land area inside Subic Techno Park that will store tobacco leaf for shipment and processing in various PMI cigarette factories in the Asia-Pacific region.

Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. (PMPMI) Managing Director Chris Nelson, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano G. Salonga and SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza led the groundbreaking Monday morning to signal the commencement of the project.

?Today we break ground in what described to be the largest humid warehouse facility that will established Subic as a major center of regional leaf tobacco trading and a major center for international distribution, ? SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said.

This new warehouse will have state-of-the-art features such as humidity control, fire suppression equipment, and air conditioning to handle the imported tobacco leaf from China, Indonesia, Thailand, and India, among others, which will be used by PMI cigarette manufacturing facilities in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia..

The expected project completion will be August this year, so definitely, the economic benefit of this project will accrued to the community in a very short period of time,? Arreza said.

What we are groundbreaking today is actually the Phase II of our investment here in Subic.. You will recall that in January 2008, exactly two years ago, we opened the first phase which was a 10,000-square meter leaf warehouse that used to be Building 8120 of SBMA located at the Boton area,? PMPMI Managing Director Chris Nelson said.

At present, the existing refurbished warehouse in Boton Area can only accommodate 6,100 metric tons of tobacco leaf. Phase-I has an initial investment of P30-million while the new project is peg at around P500-million worth of investment, Nelson said.

The new warehouse stands on a 20,000-square meter lot out of the almost 50,000-square meter total land area that we have leased from SBMA for 50 years. In the future, we could further expand the warehouse facility to handle 24,000 metric tons of tobacco depending on the region?s demand,? he added.

The construction of the Subic Techno Park warehouse, with an initial capacity of storing 14,000 metric tons of tobacco, is expected to be completed in July this year.

Nelson disclosed that Subic was chosen from among several possible locations in Southeast Asia ?as it provides reasonable advantages in cost and efficiency over the various storage areas where tobacco leaf are previously kept.?

Through the years, we have steadily expanded our investments here in the Philippines. The project that we are groundbreaking today further cements our commitment to the economic development of the country and our faith in the Philippine tobacco industry,? Nelson said.

PMI is the leading tobacco company in the world with over 15 percent share of the international adult smoking market (excluding China).

It previously invested more than $ 300 million in the construction of its first class cigarette manufacturing facility in Tanauan City, Batangas which became operational in 2003.

PMI?s affiliates, which include PMPMI, manufacture and market seven of the top 15 best selling international brands – including Marlboro, the world?s number one cigarette brand. (PNA)

It seems movies with humans just aren’t gonna cut it this year with the cinemas filled with hot teen wolves and vampires and, now, ten foot blue Na’vi, so we settle back to enjoy the fantasy sci-fi 3D masterpiece with a predictable plot that is Avatar.

The Auckland screening was packed with media and celebrities made to queue and be electronically scanned for any recording devices; slightly heavy-handed security insisted upon by Fox to eliminate piracy, two days before the film goes public. It would be very hard, however, to capture on a handheld cellphone this movie, given that what makes it great is the 3D and the visual effects.

Coming out afterwards, broadcaster Marcus Lush commented, “It’s the new Star Wars. Unbelievable. Shame they’re all blue.”

There’s no risk of spoiling the ending to say that in a nutshell, it’s a colonialists vs indigeneous people-love-story-turned-war-action film; you got that from the trailers. Yes, going there has opened Pandora’s box. The plot isn’t that deep, but does it need to be? James Cameron’s last film, Titanic, was great and you knew how that was going to turn out and you still went.

The 3D effects in Avatar draw you in, making you feel more connected to the action and to the oft one-dimensional characters. In the forest scenes with 3D animals flying at you, it is like you are there and I admit to jumping quite a bit in my seat. The flying scenes were breathtaking; the visual effects were the best I’ve ever seen. In fact, New Zealander Richard Taylor and Weta workshops got a round of applause at the end when the credits rolled his name, and well-deservedly so.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, last seen in Terminator 4 also as sort-of-human) is a marine whose late twin brother was a scientist on Pandora, with an avatar created using his human DNA together with Pandora’s Na’vi peoples’ DNA. Jake shares his brother’s genes and can “step into his brother’s shoes;” a poignant line to one who lost the use of his legs and who desires a new beginning and a fresh start in a faraway land, with the added bonus of getting an expensive operation to restore his legs if he cooperates with the bosses.

It’s not run by the US Military as such; ex-Marines are working on Pandora as hired guns for The Company, who can sell a sparkly coal-like mined ore for $20 million a kilo. And where does the ore lie, but under the Home Tree of the Na’vi people, a race seemingly based upon size zero Native Americans slash African tribespeople who are at one with their world and connect to animals and trees through their nervous system with glowing optic cables in their ponytails.

The Colonel is a stereotypical battle-crazed soldier hell-bent on getting his ore and at odds with biologist Dr Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, best remembered for fighting Aliens not siding with them) who smokes cigarettes in every scene where she’s not tall, thin and blue.

It’s an action movie, but not played for one-liners like Die Hard. The Colonel gets many of the good lines and his Pres. Bush line, “We’re fighting terror with terror” got a good laugh from the audience. The only groan of cringe came from a Jake-Na’vi Princess tender cuddle.

The flora and fauna were for me the biggest stars in Avatar. You get a delight from watching Jake blunder around on Pandora, touching anenome-esque plants and walking on ground that lights up with every step. The creatures are as good as any fantasy and more imaginative than most, with many-legged horses, dinosaur-like animals, and even dragons. Waiting for the next amazing creature to appear does bring back a sense of wonder that many have said is lost from the going-to-the-movies experience as escapism.

To Cameron’s credit it didn’t go crazy with violence or sex; it has been rated M for mature audiences with battle violence but wasn’t too scary or overly violent; perhaps the same as say Jurassic Park or Terminator, and the only sex scene is a kiss. The battle scenes are incredible and the last one with helicopters vs the Na’vi is a real highlight of the film.

A nice touch is the extent they went to to form an entire language complete with sentence structure and grammar. I’m sure geeks will learn to speak it like they do Klingon. A professor of linguistics spoke on NZ’s National Radio today, saying James Cameron gathered 30 words from various cultures around the world, including the “ng’ sound of NZ Maori, and gave them to him to create a unique language for the Na’vi. Luckily for Jake many of them learned English at a school run by Grace so the whole movie isn’t subtitled.

I’d say whilst not a classic, Avatar is certainly ground-breaking in its visual effects and is a must-see for all sci-fi and fantasy fans and I can’t wait to see it again, as it was so much to take in the first time visually. Knowing what’s going to happen, doesn’t ruin a movie like this. It’s old-fashioned storytelling and romance set on a land far, far away…

Legislation sponsored by Assemblywomen Connie Wagner and Joan Voss (both D-Bergen) to prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and include e-cigarettes in the New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act, which prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces, was unanimously released today by an Assembly panel.

Wagner said she’s concerned e-cigarettes are being marketed to children because they offer flavors like chocolate, banana and strawberry and could serve as a gateway to real cigarette use.

“These are dangerous devices and I want to make sure our children are protected,” Wagner said. “I’m very concerned that young people who use these things will get hooked on the nicotine and eventually move onto the real thing, opening the door to a lifetime of expensive and debilitating health problems.”

E-cigarettes look like the real thing but don’t contain tobacco. They employ a metal tube with a battery that heats up a nicotine solution. Users breathe in the resulting vapor.

“Electronic cigarettes contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals, with one study even finding they use a toxic ingredient found in antifreeze,” Voss said. “We have every reason to be worried about the safety of these products that are easy for youngsters to buy and also contain no health warning like you find on real cigarettes.”

The merged legislation (A-4227/A-4228) would extend the state ban on the sale of tobacco products to those under 19 years of age to e-cigarettes and include e-cigarettes in the New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act, which prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces.

The Wagner-Voss legislation was released by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee and now go the Assembly Speaker, who decides if and when to post them for a floor vote.

PETALUMA, Calif., – With all of the brands of e
cigarettes on the market, deciding which one to buy can be confusing.

E Cigarettes Junction, an online shopping site, has made the process of
finding what they call the “right deal” on e cigarettes online. The company is
based in California and does not sell or produce e cigarettes, but is a site
that finds the best deals for potential e cigarette buyers from the United
States.

The company states that price alone may not make the best deal on the growing
number of e cigarettes that are now hitting the market. “We make sure the
company that we refer traffic to has a great customer service history and
products that will not disappoint the client based on several different points
that they evaluate before listing a product or service to their visitors,”
states May Ann Baello of E Cigarette Junction. “We want our visitors to be
able to buy with confidence because we have checked out the products and
companies listed.”

With customer service and product lines suffering from the growing recession,
some experts are telling people to check out companies before purchasing
products that they are not familiar with. E Cigarette Junction is making that
process simple with their system of checking out the companies and products
before the potential buyers even have a need or desire to purchase them.

“We have been victimized in the past by shady companies, either from shabby
customer service, faulty or dangerous products or scams to rob the public of
their hard earned money. We just cannot afford to lose money from less than
honorable companies in today’s economy, and we are trying to help stop that in
this market before it starts,” says Baello.

SOURCE E Cigarettes National

WASHINGTON, – Connecticut and other states are taking aim at electronic cigarettes, a battery-powered device with vaporized nicotine, officials said.

“We’re actively investigating these companies and their products,” Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal told USA Today in a story published Monday.

Public health officials in California, Oregon, New Hampshire and New Jersey said the smokeless devices are the latest thing in the tobacco wars and could be used to circumvent smoking bans.

E-cigarettes, as they are commonly called, are used by at least a half-million U.S. residents, said Matt Salmon, who heads the Electronic Cigarette Association.

“People who smoke ought to have better alternatives, because some can’t quit,” said Salmon, whose father, a longtime smoker, recently died of cancer and emphysema.

E-cigarette distributors filed lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after the agency said e-cigarettes it tested contained carcinogens.

“It’s a new frontier. We don’t know what the dangers are,” said John Banzhaf, a spokesman for Action on Smoking and Health, an anti-smoking group.

Oct. 26, 2009 UPI

In a recent PRLog press release entitled “Kudos to the FDA … bravo ASH, Cancer Research agencies, Federal Governments et al …” that was recently published, it praised the work of ASH and a public thank you to point out the dangers of the electronic cigarette. This press release was posted on the Action on Smoking and Health website as being a congratulations for Professor John Banzhaf and the work of ASH in their recent fight.

However there is a big problem. The press release is totally bogus.

On it’s face value, it is quite humorous and oozing of sarcasm. In reality, this is alarming.

Since it’s conception in 2004, electronic cigarettes have been used by millions of users worldwide as a way to stop tobacco smoking. And for many, it has been very effective. to date, there has not been one single injury or death related to electronic cigarettes. However, there will be over 400,000 tobacco related deaths this year in smoking real cigarettes.

And the FDA report regarding the electronic cigarette actually proves that they are far safer than real cigarettes. While the FDA report does detect nitrosamines, most of nitrosamines that were actually searched for (what are in cigarettes) were not even detected, and the ones that were detected were already found in a lab report issued by Health New Zealand last year in a report issued on October 2008. The Health New Zealand lab report concluded that the levels found were well below levels deemed hazardous, and pronounced that the e-cig is safe, so this is nothing new. The FDA, on the other hand, only mentions that “carconigens in the form of nitrosamines were detected”, leaving the public to form their own conclusions..

In regards to the levels of Diethylene Glycol found, it was detected in minute trace amounts and in only one cartridge of several cartridges manufactured. It has also been determined that to get Diethylene Glycol poisoning, a 145 pound individule would have to vape over 5,000 cartridges in one day to achieve a toxic level.

But like the ASH “congratulations”, they fail to read these tidbits as well.

As this reporter has stated time and time again, ASH is not the most accurate source for information regarding public health, and this recent stunt further underscores this. The recent bogus press release is just proof that as an organization, ASH does not study facts accurately, only looks for what it sees in it’s narrow eyes, dismissed cold hard scientific facts, and many times uses misleading information to alarm the public about health hazards that simply do not exist.

As an organization that is supposed to be an organization that promotes the health of the American public, this is more of a health hazard. If a single individual can dupe a large organization like this, imagine what you don’t know about what type of information you are receiving from it.

To quote a portion of the press release:

“I myself, would like to send a special thank you to professor John Banzhaf III for stepping in as quickly, efficiently and effectively as he did. Without his tireless efforts with regards to this product, the electronic cigarette might still be readily available to the millions of people worldwide that had in their ignorance, embraced this product, using it as a way to avoid all the yummy by-products produced by the tobacco products.”

“With the boycott and ban, now safely in place, many of the smoking consumers around the world have once again returned to their beloved tobacco products … thus ensuring the tobacco manufacturers stranglehold in the marketplace … please excuse the pun.”

“Once again … I thank you all for your valiant efforts to protect the smoking consumer. ”

Yes, thank you ASH for promoting smoking.

The American public should not rely their health on a lawyer who cannot even study a simple press release long enough before realizing what it was about. And certainly not from a lawyer who, with the “sue the bastards” mentality, does not believe in personal responsibility.

Yes, I was taken aback at first by the bogus press release. But it was because I clicked on a link that was supposed to be from a reputable health organization source with knowledgeable sources and I acted accordingly. But with further examination of the press release, I found that ASH doesn’t even proof read what they link to. I skimmed it trusting the source and didn’t see it at it’s face value originally. I then re-read the article later and saw that it was a farce. That is the problem with Professor John Banzhaf and his one man band organization ASH. They do not “proof read” anything. If it boosts Banzhafs ego, it’s published. Yes, I almost fell for it. I can imagine just how much damage this lawyer can do with mistruths and misinformation on an unsuspecting public. And he plays with your health for money and ego. It is very dangerous.

The basic bottom line is, ASH and Professor John H. Banzhaf III, blinded by his “Sue The Bastards” mindset, can’t see the truth, and that is a clear and present danger in the health of Americans. Not from Big Macs or Electronic Cigarettes, but from ego.

The bogus press release should be an embarassment to ASH. Not only because it proves beyond any doubt that they do no research on their own to substantiate their own claims, but, the news article they link to, has Google ads pitching electronic cigarettes. Now that is irony in the pure sence of the word.

This reporter thinks that John Banzhaf should step aside from his post. He may have made some strides back in the 1960, but in the 21st century, he can’t even read a simple sarcastic press release correctly. From many this reporter interviewed, most people feel he is more of a liability to ASH than an asset. This latest farce only proves that all the more.

I mean, come on John,

“In tests performed by reputable research facilities in Canada, New Zealand and other locations, it clearly shows that electronic cigarettes contain Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamine levels of approximately 8.2, whereas Marlboro for example, contain a hearty 11,190 level of these same Nitrosamines. Test results have also shown that the tobacco variety of cigarette the consumer has been enjoying for decades now, also contain approximately 60 other known Carcinogens … all of which have been left out of this “so called” electronic cigarette.”

A chimp could have seen through this. But that’s right. You’re a lawyer, not a chimp. I suppose chimpanzees would have better reading comprehension. Retire already.

This type of malarky is more dangerous for the public health. Not Electronic Cigarettes.

Cell phones are used by an estimated 275 million people in the United States and 4 billion worldwide.

A recent review of studies assessed whether there was epidemiologic evidence for an association between long-term cell phone usage and the risk of developing a brain tumor.

In order to be included in the analysis, studies were required to have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, included participants who had used cell phone for 10 or more years, and analyzed the side of the brain tumor relative to the side of the head preferred for cell phone usage. Eleven long-term epidemiologic studies fit the criteria.

The results indicated that using a cell phone for 10 or more years approximately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with a brain tumor on the same side of the head as that preferred for cell phone use.

Iowa senator Tom Harkin, newly empowered to investigate health matters as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has promised to probe deeply into any potential links between cell phone use and cancer.

Harkin, who took over the committee after the death of Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, said he was concerned no one has been able to prove cell phones do not cause cancer. A staffer said the senator became concerned by a report from the Environmental Working Group showing that radio wave emissions vary from one cell phone brand and model to another, as well as some reports suggesting there might be a link.

September 29 2009

It is widely accepted that second-hand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including cyanide, carbon monoxide and benzene. the second hand smoke that is produced can make children more susceptible to illness and can contribute to lifelong health conditions, such as asthma. Babies of smoking parents are proven to be more likely to experience sudden infant death syndrome and suffer from respiratory diseases.

Exhaled tobacco smoke is a mixture of smoke from the burning end of a tobacco cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. It is estimated that 1/3 of households in the UK are smoking households. Medical professionals warn that persons who already have heart disease or asthma are at an especially high risk of suffering adverse affects from passive smoking, and should take special precautions to avoid even the briefest of exposure.

“Quitting smoking is the best thing any parent can do for their family’s health and well being, but most smokers are unable or willing to quit. In this instance, it is recommended that the parent smoker only smoke outside of the home and car. If you are a committed smoker, then Electronic Cigarettes may be the solution for you and your family” states local GP Neil Bates.
“electronic cigarettes reduce the risk of illness and death to under 1% of the risk posed by tobacco cigarettes”

An Electronic cigarette or “e-cigarette” is an alternative to smoked tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. It is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized nicotine solution. In addition to nicotine delivery, this vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, while no tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved in its operation.

It looks, feels and tastes like a cigarette, but it expels an odorless water vapor that looks like smoke, but isn’t. “electronic cigarettes don’t cause second-hand smoke and could, therefore, be a better option for families with smoking households.” added Dr Bates

According to Dr. Joel Nitzkin, available information shows that “electronic cigarettes reduce the risk of illness and death to under 1% of the risk posed by tobacco cigarettes”.