Electronic Cigarettes Not a Safe Alternative to Conventional Cigs

Although electronic cigarettes have recently been marketed as a safer alternative to traditional smokes, a new analysis of 19 types of the e-cigarettes revealed that they contain toxic chemicals. The FDA has classified the devices as combination drug/medical devices, prohibiting their import, but hasn't removed them from American shelves. Opponents of e-cigarettes hope the findings will spur the FDA to take more stringent action against the devices. The results of the FDA's new analysis, which were announced yesterday, revealed that although e-cigarettes don't burn tobacco, the devices contain substances known to be toxic, such as diethylene glycol, a component of antifreeze that proved deadly when it was illegally added to toothpaste. They also contain nitrosamines, known carcinogens found in tobacco smoke.