Vaping Digest October 9th

Wednesday’s News at a glance:

Marewa Glover Gets an Apology ~ Advocacy on TRT World ~ Predisposed Outcomes ~ No, a study did not show that E-Cigarette vapor causes lung cancer in mice ~ Black market pot — not vaping — appears to be to blame for lung disease outbreak ~ Report: Lab test finds cyanide in 15 of 15 black market THC vape carts ~ The Mysterious Case of an American Epidemic of Vaping-Related Lung Injuries ~ Colorado Lab Results Point to New Culprit in Vaping Cases: A Specific Chemical Used in Cheap Vape Pens ~ Toronto exploring mandatory license for retailers selling vaping, e-cigarette products ~ Regulators urged to ease rules on smoke-free nicotine products ~ The FDA should release its data on youth use of tobacco ~Dutch government urged to consult with consumers before pursuing dangerous legislation ~ ‘We Vape, We Vote’: How vaping crackdowns are politicizing vapers ~ Alibaba to stop sales of e-cigarette components in United States

Marewa Glover Gets an Apology

Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes

The Public Health Association of New Zealand (PHA) has been forced to make a deserved apology to New Zealander of the Year nominee Marewa Glover. The PPA stated that she had been influenced by Philip Morris International and consequently lied during questioning by a government committee. She hadn’t been influenced; she hadn’t lied. This isn’t the first-time apologies have had to be made following attacks on harm tobacco reduction advocates.

Predisposed Outcomes

Paul Barnes, Facts Do Matter

Another day, another study. Two actually. Though the first I was planning to cover is a meta analysis (which will have to wait), while the second is a vaping mouse study. As most of you will no doubt be aware, conducting experiments on mice is an age-old way of identifying possible links to humans.

No, a study did not show that E-Cigarette vapor causes lung cancer in mice

Aaron J. Alford, Medium

I am no medical researcher, but I do know how to look at a study and read what is there. The headlines which are being posted about E-cigarettes causing cancer are absolutely not what the study they claim to quote is about. Simply reading the study will show you that the news is misleading the public yet again.

Related: Ecig vapour and cancer in mice

Jacob Sullum, Chicago Sun Times

When there’s an outbreak of food poisoning, the federal government does not issue general advisories about the hazards of eating. It tells people which products have been implicated so they can adjust their behavior to reduce the risks they face.

Report: Lab test finds cyanide in 15 of 15 black market THC vape carts

Kyle Lawson, Silive

A test of black-market, marijuana vape cartridges conducted recently by NBC News found 15 out of 15 contained a fungicide that when burned can turn into hydrogen cyanide.

Legal cartridges sold at a California cannabis dispensary were all deemed safe.

Yes, sure, of course. These particular (cannabinoid!) vaping devices went from never being used to being widely used in a matter of weeks, radiating in a geographic pattern.

What the hell is wrong with people? It is not that difficult to think beyond your isolated data. https://t.co/CQq5NLP6Br

— Carl V Phillips (@carlvphillips) October 8, 2019

---

In answer to your question: NO. I have worked in global health for 25 years and have never seen anything like the level of junk science and deliberate misinformation that now spews out of tobacco control “experts” & health officials. This has shaken my faith in public health.

— Charles A. Gardner, PhD (@ChaunceyGardner) October 8, 2019

The Mysterious Case of an American Epidemic of Vaping-Related Lung Injuries

Peter Sasieni, Cancer Prevention Group Blog

Deep down every epidemiologist imagines themselves as Sherlock Holmes: equipped with little more than a magnifying glass and a good brain, they dream of becoming the sleuth who solves the mystery of the latest epidemic. We admire John Snow, who in 1854 carefully mapped where some 500 people who had died of cholera in the previous 10 days had lived and determined that the outbreak resulted from contaminated water from the Broad Street street-pump. In order to stop the epidemic, he removed the handle of the pump.  We model ourselves on Sir Richard Doll who, in 1950, first identified cigarette smoking as the reason behind the huge increase in lung cancer deaths in England.

Colorado Lab Results Point to New Culprit in Vaping Cases:

A Specific Chemical Used in Cheap Vape Pens

A new study by a Colorado lab points to a new potential culprit in the nationwide wave of lung injuries caused by vaping: a rare disease caused by inhalation of a chemical present in many cheap vape pens that is used to fuse metals together.

The study used data from 53 patient cases in Wisconsin and Illinois who suffered severe lung illness due to vaping. From that study, the lab concluded that the vaping illness symptoms directly correlate to an advanced stage of a very rare disease, almost exclusively suffered by welders and others who inhale chemical concoctions, called Metal Fume Fever.

Toronto exploring mandatory license for retailers selling vaping, e-cigarette products

Lauren Pelley, CBC News

City officials are now one step closer toward licensing retailers who sell vaping and e-cigarette products, amid growing concern about the devices’ popularity and health risks.

On Monday morning, the general government and licensing committee officially signed off on new recommendations requiring businesses selling vaping products to buy a licence from the city — if council gives a final stamp of approval later this month.

Regulators urged to ease rules on smoke-free nicotine products

Manila Standard Business

Public health advocates have gathered in Melbourne, Australia to urge international health bodies and government regulators to ease the restrictive rules against non-combustible, smoke-free nicotine products that are regarded as much safer alternatives to cigarette smoking.

“We have the evidence that harm reduction products―snus, vapes and heat-not-burn tobacco are at least 90-percent safer,” Dr. Colin Mendelsohn, a tobacco treatment specialist and conjoint associate professor in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales said during the 9th International City Health Conference held in Melbourne on Oct. 3 to 4.

The FDA should release its data on youth use of tobacco

Steve Pociask, The Hill

Last month, the Trump administration announced a controversial regulatory decision that has spurred a uniquely heated debate across the country. In light of what the FDA has deemed a “youth epidemic” of e-cigarette use, the administration has decided to move forward with a ban on flavored vaping products. This ban, they argue, will help curb youth use and protect America’s teenagers.

Yesterday’s news in the Netherlands has focussed on a call by the Association of Physicians for Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis (NVALT) to ban all e-cigarette use in the country.

Spokesman Leon van den Toorn is quoted in the media saying that “worrying developments” have led to his demand for “a total ban on electronic cigarettes”. In response, State Secretary for Health Paul Blokhuis is reported to be “very curious” about “the latest medical insights from Leon van den Toorn and his colleagues” and wants to “involve their findings in the ongoing research into the health risks of e-cigarettes”.

‘We Vape, We Vote’: How vaping crackdowns are politicizing vapers

Rachel Bluth and Lauren Weber, Kaiser Health News

Vapers across the country are swarming Twitter, the White House comment line and statehouse steps with the message “We Vape, We Vote.”

They’re speaking out after a slew of attacks on their way of life. President Donald Trump announced his support for a vaping flavor ban in September. Some states temporarily banned the sales of vaping tools or flavors. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned people to stop vaping until public health experts can find the cause of more than a thousand cases of lung injuries nationwide.

Alibaba to stop sales of e-cigarette components in United States

Josh Horwitz, Reuters

Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba said on Wednesday it will stop selling e-cigarette components in the United States, amid growing regulatory scrutiny and reports of lung disease and some deaths linked to vaping.

The move follows announcements by Kroger Co and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc this week that they would stop selling e-cigarettes at their stores, in line with a similar decision by Walmart.

Visit Nicotine Science & Policy for more News from around the World