FDA: Electronic cigarettes contain toxics

WASHINGTON, July 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples found carcinogens and toxic chemicals.

Electronic cigarettes, also called "e-cigarettes," are battery-operated devices that contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor and other chemicals. The electronic cigarette turns nicotine, which is highly addictive, and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user.

The products do not contain any health warnings comparable to FDA-approved nicotine replacement products or conventional cigarettes. They are available in flavors such as chocolate and mint, which may appeal to young people.

Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, commissioner of food and drugs, said the products have not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval and the agency has no way of knowing, except for the limited testing it has performed, the levels of nicotine or the amounts or kinds of other chemicals that the various brands of these products deliver to the user.

In one sample, FDA analyses detected diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans. In other samples FDA analyses detected carcinogens, including nitrosamines, Hamburg said.

The tests indicate the products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could be exposed, Hamburg added.