Irony arrived when I took out the newspaper and found this article by Matt Richtel. The lede:
Electronic
cigarettes appear to be safer than ordinary cigarettes for one simple —
and simply obvious — reason: people don’t light up and smoke them.
With the e-cigarettes, there is no burning tobacco to produce myriad new chemicals, including some 60 carcinogens.
But
new research suggests that, even without a match, some popular
e-cigarettes get so hot that they, too, can produce a handful of the
carcinogens found in cigarettes and at similar levels.
And later in the article:
[N]ew research suggests how potential health risks are emerging as the
multibillion-dollar e-cigarette business rapidly evolves, and how
regulators are already struggling to keep pace.
Which sends a stronger message to the young audience targeted by these e-cigarette companies, a sex-laden graphic with a subtext about rebellious behavior, or a thoughtful newspaper story. Not even close, no?
Paul - I understand your point but it seems like we are surrounded by "potential health risks". Look at the fertilizer we put on our lawns and then put a danger sign to keep pets and kids from walking on it. Look at people with a cell phone pressed up against their head for hours every day. Look at the food we consume and the obesity it has generated. Look at the pollution generated by cars and other sources that we inhale every day. Life expectancy is near all time highs even while we are surrounded in our daily lives by many potential health risks. I guess we can add e-cigarette vapor to the list.
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