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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) are relying on myths to scare people away from vaping, according to Alex Berezow of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH).
An FDA warning letter to vaping device manufacturer Juul addressed, in part, Juul's contention that its products are safer than cigarettes.
"Referring to your ENDS products as '99 percent safer' than cigarettes, 'much safer' than cigarettes, 'totally safe,' and 'a safer alternative than smoking cigarettes' is particularly concerning because these statements were made directly to children in school."
There are two issues that Berezow takes with the FDA’s statement. The first is the safety of the vaping products and the second is Juul’s marketing to children. Berezow cites a research paper from the University of East Angila.
The paper concluded that vaping was a viable long-term substitute for smoking because it reduced the amount of tobacco the smoker inhaled. There are even two UK hospitals that have vaping shops to encourage people to stop smoking cigarettes.
Berezow also argues with a statement from the CDC that said, in part, that smokers wishing to quit should use FDA-approved medications and counseling instead of vaping. The problems with this statement, Berezow said, include the fact that vaping sickness and death are rare occurrences and the CDC also referred to e-cigarettes as tobacco products, which they are not.
The ACSH recommends using vaping to help quit smoking and advises against starting to vape if it is not used for this purpose.
