The FDA finally submitted their deeming regulation on electronic cigarette in the White House Office of Management and Budget. If the Office of Management and Budget could sign off the new regulatory proposal, the last step would be published of the amendment in the Federal Register. Then the new regulation would go into effect in 30 days after publication.
As new regulations loom, scientists are beginning to worry that the attempt to keep smokers' risk free by the FDA could actually fail and put the public at serious risk. According to the study conducted by the American Enterprise Institute, the use of tobacco cigarettes is now the lowest since the 1940s. Many smokers have successfully managed to kick out the habit by using electronic cigarettes. Currently, the research available on how electronic cigarettes affect our health is limited, but there is no evidence to show that risk associated with tobacco use is close to that of vaping.
Electronic cigarettes are now helping people to find freedom from tobacco cigarette addiction, and the step by the FDA to regulate their use could lead to a major problem. Even though the FDA is justified to push for regulation by pointing at the recent accidents of inappropriate exposure to the nicotine liquids used by electronic cigarette users, the effort could put the public health at a greater risk.
Interfering with reduction of smoking or smoking cessation has serious public health consequences that a handful reported exposure to liquid nicotine. In fact, if a smoker switches for tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, they will ultimately reduce their risk of throat, mouth, lung, aesophagus, and bladder cancer by over 50% within five to 20 years. Besides, electronic cigarettes cut the use of second-hand smoke, which researcher linked to heart disease, strokes and cancer.
If the only focus the FDA's regulation is to paint a negative picture on electronic cigarettes, it could backfire and cause more damage in the long run by making many smokers to return to traditional tobacco use.
Are the public concerned that the new regulations push by the FDA could cause many people to smoke the real thing?