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Thursday, August 9, 2012 by

Kristina Chetcuti

E-cigarettes - ‘My addiction has practically gone’

‘No studies have shown health effects of electronic cigarettes’

Using electronic cigarettes is known as ‘vaping’.

Using electronic cigarettes is known as ‘vaping’.

It is a common sight these days: people carrying a pen-like electronic gadget, which they then put to their lips and puff on, or, according to the experts, practise “vaping”.

There is no scientific evidence to substantiate their use as an alternative to conventional tobacco
- ministry

These electronic cigarettes, which work on a liquid refill cartridge system, sprouted on the local market last year and as sales keep increasing, so is the controversy over its bearing on users’ health.

Electronic cigarettes are legal to import, own and use in Malta as in all other European countries but, earlier this week, the consumer’s watchdog issued a warning against the use of such devices noting that “inhaling vapours could not in any way be considered healthy”.

However, a user said that e-cigarettes allowed him to reduce his nicotine intake by choosing liquids with lower concentration of nicotine until he went practically nicotine free. The price of refills varies between €3.50 and €20.

“It has weaned me off cigarettes. My addiction has practically gone. Before I used two packets of cigarettes a day, now I no longer feel the urge to do so and just vape in the evenings. I feel much healthier now,” Jason Borg, 39, said.

Importer Sergio Curmi said that over the last months there had been a surge in demand.

“Even some doctors are telling their patients that if they have to smoke, they’re better off smoking electronic cigarettes,” he said.

The Health Ministry would not be drawn into this issue. “We are not aware of such instances but it is incorrect if they (doctors) are doing so because, to date, there is no scientific evidence to substantiate their use as an alternative to conventional tobacco,” a spokesman said. He added that “policies may be changed if new scientific evidence develops”.

The Environmental Health Directorate is following the line of action proposed by the World Health Organisation, that “no rigorous, peer-reviewed studies have been conducted showing that the electronic cigarette is a safe and effective nicotine replacement therapy”.

It does not discount the possibility that the electronic cigarette could be useful as a smoking cessation aid.

So far, there are no studies showing the long-term health effects of the e-cigarette.

The US Food and Drug Administration says there are far too many unanswered questions about the safety of the product.

A recent Boston University study claims that the vapour vemitted by electronic cigarettes is significantly less harmful than the smoke produced by tobacco cigarettes because no carbon monoxide and tar are emitted.

The directorate in Malta is more concerned about the illegal advertisements being made rather than the use itself.

It has been issuing warnings that, for purposes of advertising and their use in public places, electronic cigarettes are considered tobacco products, even though some cartridge refills are non-nicotine and non-tobacco based.

“Using an electronic cigarette is not illegal; advertising and smoking in public places is,” a directorate spokesman said.

The Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority said that all electronic cigarettes should have the CE mark on them.

What is an e-cigarette?

The e-cigarette was invented in China in the late 1990s by a chemist and engineer, Hon Lik, who had seen his father die of cancer. A smoker himself, he wanted to find a way to obtain nicotine but without the risk to health.

By early 2006, e-cigarettes were available in the UK and the US. There are now more than three million US users.

A standard electronic cigarette has three parts: a container for the refill liquid, a rechargeable battery and an atomiser, which is a tiny coil of wire that heats the liquid and vaporises it.

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78 Comments

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Kenneth Bezzina

Aug 10th 2012, 08:31

Believe it or not, it's not as easy as you say it is. Nicotine substitutes provide a staggered reduction in nicotine addiction, making it easier to quit

Paul Borg

Aug 10th 2012, 08:42

I did exactly that 21 years ago. I was a seaman and used to smoke approx 60 to 70 cigarettes a day. One day my wife {after one week married} told me to smoke on the roof or in the balcony. That day I sealed that packet and quit. I used to smoke the worst filterless cigarettes .

Clyde Cassar

Aug 10th 2012, 03:11

Dear Keith,
Nicotine DOES not cause Cancer. Fact.

Ganni Borg

Aug 9th 2012, 21:10

of course they are... they still bother the non-smokers. I have even seen ppl having the cheek smoking them in a hospital waiting room!

Joe Brincat-LL.D

Aug 9th 2012, 21:13

In my opinion, this is not smoking.....as there is no smoke. Vapour is different from smoke. As I said in an earlier comment, my electric kettle would be a heavy smoker !!!

Snuff tobacco consumption is not smoking. Carrying a nicotine patch is not smoking. And chewing nicotine gum is not smoking. But all are consumption of nicotine.

doreen fenech

Aug 10th 2012, 09:21

i was`t a chain smoker but i used to smoke about 30 cigarettes a day and with the electronic cigarettes i don't even think of smoking one,and my breath is much better and even my pocket mind you. yes it is against the law to smoke any cigarettes or electronic cigarettes in public

P. Attard

Aug 10th 2012, 10:04

This week there was a young boy smoking it on an Arriva bus from Birkirkara to Msida. I think that guidelines should be released as to where it can be used, because in my opinion it still produces smoke and nothing else!

Kenneth Bezzina

Aug 10th 2012, 08:35

The difference between a nicotine patch and a cigarette is that use of the nicotine patch will not affect the people around you.

Joe Brincat-LL.D

Aug 10th 2012, 09:47

If it is smoke, I would agree with you. Do you know that there is nicotine in tomatoes ? (naturally of course, not because farmers smoke)

Philip Mizzi

Aug 9th 2012, 19:13

Perfect analyses!

Rob Patrick

Oct 16th 2012, 11:17

I agree, Im sure their is likely to be a hidden agenda. Check this out;
http://the-best-electronic-cigarette.com/index.php/ecigarette-information/can-e-cigarettes-help-you-quit-smoking

D. Xerri

Aug 9th 2012, 17:26

First of all its not gimmicks cause I know like 5 friends of mine who were heavy smokers and today instead of puffing 40 cigarettes a day they just puff around 8 times a day on an e-cig ! So if it works on their craving ITS WORKING on their habit thus avoiding smoking Tobacco !
Secondly ..... Surely an e-cig Does not harm someone`s health as much as normal cigarettes do containing around 300 different harmful substances when compared to Only The Nicotine Substance found in an e-cig ! Not to mention that smoking a normal cigarette harms the ones around you with second hand smoke while with an e-cig its water vapour without smell and without carbon monoxide !

jane deguara

Aug 9th 2012, 18:48

me too it was easy, you just need to be strong..

M Cachia

Aug 9th 2012, 17:36

Actually there is an ingredient list on every packet of cigarettes if you look for it.

KM. Psaila

Aug 9th 2012, 16:49

AND here is a list of REPLIES TO YOUR SO MENTIONED 'common chinese e-cig problems':

-e-liquid leak from tank cartridges
=ON SOME CHEAP MODELS IT DOES

-each tank cartridge lasts about 2 hours, means that you need to carry with you more , but....you have no pack to put it in.
=mine lasts longer but i carry a spare to avoid buying the stinky bad brother to e cigs, and comes with a cap to keep it safely PACKED

- consumes a lot of e-liquid, means that you will also inhale a lot of nicotine more than the steam's and will spend a lot of money more to keep using it.
=it is you who decide how much liquid to consume(just like you decide how much cigarettes to smoke) and price is about a third to a half less then cigarettes to keep using it

-uses single tank atomizer and just change the cartridge means that you have to be always worried that if atomizer brokes, you'll need to have always another one to change and costs like €12
=you can like i do carry a spare athomiser just in case it broke and replacement athomiser on mine is 5 euro

- needs you to push a button every puff, if you use the automatic one, just know that it simply not work!
= helps me to avoid sticking ecig in mouth till consumed (was a chain smoker and this button helped me reduce much of the nicotine intake)

-is made of a lot of pieces, so it's easy to lose them and , there are no replaces.
= it is as easy to loose as anything else but thank god every part is easily replacable, you can find all parts in malta or online to buy. Just to be safe i carry a packet the size of old cigarette packet with three batteries liquid and spare athomiser so I DON`T LOOSE ANYTHING.

-atomizer reachs very high temperatures when you use it. Means that it burns also a little part of the wick ( cotton part to absorb liquid that is present also in tank system) burning the wick generates very unhealthy black parts,": EXACTLY LIKE SMOKING A NORMAL CIGARETTE DAMAGE, but with more nicotine
= it will not burn you don`t worry, it is always better not to completely empty the whole tank though so the wick is always moist. it still won`t deal same damage as cigarettes as the thousands of poisons found in cigarettes are not present except from nicotine

-a lot of people has complained cardiac arrhythmia, specially for long time use.
= i`ld rather have this said by a doctor as people on the street usually confuse a bad hair day with chronic depression, and forgetting to take the trash out with dimensia

- material, consumes with time making it look very horrible :)
=nothing lasts for ever if you are so keen on looks replace it. it will still set you less back than actual cigarettes economically :)

D Micallef

Aug 9th 2012, 17:31

leaks - depends on the model,there are models that do not leak at all at same market prices

tank - wrong,it lasts from 8 hours (severe smoker) to 24 hours

costs-wrong, 1 bottle lasts from 4 days (severe smoker) which are cheaper than a packet of cigarettes

atomizer - costs less then €12 (about €8), it can broke like anything else you use if mishanded,but generally lasts for average 3 months and more

push button-needs to push button,so its safer and has a child lock

pieces - wrong it is made up of 2 pieces,but if you like to dismantle things and see how it is build,then it is your option

black parts cardiac & others- please state from which studies you have in hands to be able to write such statement.

Also can you make a comparison to normal cigarettes with studies to show that electronic cigarettes are more harmful than cigarettes? Sure you cannot

Electronic Cigarette Advantages:

Harmless to others and the environment
No danger of second-hand environment
Can smoke in public place (abroad)
Enable smoker painless to quit smoke
Give up smoking in four steps
Save 80% smoking cost each year
No ignition and No fire burning danger
No tar and other carcinogeric substance




G Mugliett

Aug 9th 2012, 15:10

There will be a big difference in price between china made and CE certified euro made e-cig.
CE certified price ranges nearly €80 but you'll notice a big difference especially in no leakages.

Dan Atkinson (LLD)

Aug 9th 2012, 20:03

be careful as CE can also mean China Export

Mr Anthony Chetcuti

Aug 11th 2012, 14:32

I did a good research and found that all these products are All made in China, and of course there is nothing wrong in that, just buy quality made in China. Most popular branded products are made in China due to labor cost.

The top American and English companies I wrote to said that they produce them in China. Again nothing wrong in that.

CE approved can be anybody and from anywhere. If you import something without CE markings you can do it yourself and take the responsibility of damages by your own company.

Charles Grixti

Aug 9th 2012, 15:28

Yes everything is permitted nowadays if it helps the Corporation make more money. Corporations are Kings.

KM. Psaila

Aug 9th 2012, 16:51

'Haters are gonna hate' some one once said

Ian Psaila

Aug 9th 2012, 14:19

The goverment spends much more on the health of smokers so he is better off if ppl stop smoking...

The Dep of Health cannot issue that the elctronic cigarettes are not harmful as no studies were done on this aspect...

Mario Sammut

Aug 9th 2012, 14:26

ghalfejn tahseb li l gvern ma jridx li tinbieh il prodott go Malta? Ax jippreferi jara n nies tal pajjiz Malti jbatu bil cancer biex jhallsu d dazju u t taxxi ghal but tal gvern, ghal ovolja l gvern ta Malta taf li ma tghamilx hsara lil bniedem. Ftit ilu mort indur kwazi kull spizerija biex nixtri wihed minnhom u kulhadd bl-istess risposta.... "Ilegali li l prodott tinbiegh fil publiku"

jon williams

Aug 9th 2012, 13:35

The Sun report is a little flimsy don't you think?

The Daily Mail bring up some concerns about e-liquids but if you speak to any proper e cig brand they welcome full checks on the contents/production of their e-liquid. They have nothing to hide. In fact many already carry out these checks via 3rd party science labs based in Europe to determine exactly what these liquids contain.

http://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2012/08/daily-mail-story-e-cigarette.html
“Certain brands have also been found to contain Diethylene glycol" From Daily Mail

No, not brands – ONE e-cigarette of ONE US brand (Smoking Everywhere) was found to have ONE percent diethylene glycol in just ONE of all the analyses carried out on e-cigs.

http://www.ecigclick.co.uk/boston-university-researcher-suggest-e-cigarettes-are-a-safer-alternative-to-cigarettes/
There are reports from the likes of Boston university suggesting e cigs are a viable 'alternative'

http://www.ecigclick.co.uk/smokeless-cigarettes-encouraged-by-the-nudge-unit-does-their-report-really-favour-the-e-cig/
As well as the UK government Nudge Unit

Mr Jamie Frendo

Aug 9th 2012, 14:06

Wonder why the ministers warn, could it be because of the huge decrease in sales of cigarettes and all the taxes they are not collecting?

Clyde Cassar

Aug 9th 2012, 14:11

@ Jamie
Agreed 101%

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