Manager Caleb Willow (left) and salesman Eli Kaczka work at Butt Out, Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 in Tempe. Proponents of e-cigarettes say they are a healthier alternative to conventional tobacco products, but critics warn that they may have dangerous side effects. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)Caleb Willow started using electronic cigarettes four years ago to help him quit smoking. He said the technology has grown exponentially since he first began “vaping.”
“It was a little rough when I first started,” he said. “It’s not the same as smoking; it’s not a cigarette, but it is effective.”
Willow said since he stared using electronic cigarettes, he has felt a lot better.
“I don’t go purple anymore,” he said. “I don’t get sick as often anymore. When I was smoking, I was constantly feeling sick.”
Willow is a manager at Butt Out, an electronic cigarette lounge on Mill Avenue in Tempe.
Butt Out has the same essence of any run-of-the mill coffee shop with brightly colored walls and furniture and an aroma of caramel and butterscotch. Instead of a display of scones, shelves of flavor cartridges with names like Amazeballs and Dr. Hood’s Toffee Delights line the walls.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that heat liquid composed of flavoring propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine and sometimes nicotine to turn it into a vapor.
The user either pushes a button or simply inhales, which activates a battery that heats the liquid. The liquid is converted into a vapor, which the user inhales and exhales. Different levels of nicotine can be added for users who want to quit smoking.
“The liquids contain propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings and adjustable levels of nicotine. Nicotine at high dosages is still dangerous," Willow said. "Right now, I am at a lower level than when I started."
New Method Vapor Company owner Eli Kaczka inhales from an electronic cigarette, Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 at Butt Out in Tempe. Proponents of e-cigarettes say they are a healthier alternative to conventional tobacco products, but critics warn that they may have dangerous side effects. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)Willow said most people who pick up vaping want to quit, but others pick it up as a hobby.
“We carry both regulated and unregulated mods,” Willow said. "Regulated mods limit how much the user inhales at a time. Unregulated mods don’t regulate each hit taken. Someone who uses unregulated mods is someone who has been vaping for a while.”
Unregulated mods produce bigger clouds than regulated mods. Willow said there are even vape cloud contests to see who can produce the largest cloud.
“It’s kind of a subculture within a subculture,” he said. “I like to say there are two types of people, a flavor chaser and a vape chaser. I don’t really understand vape chasing though; it’s a dick-swinging contest in my opinion. What ever happened to vaping to quit smoking?”
Vaping causes ongoing debate
Although e-cigarette companies market their products as a safer alternative to smoking, there are those who are hesitant about classifying them as 100 percent safe.
ASU biology professor Gaye Oberlin teachers her students about the risks of smoking as part of her lesson plan.
“I think e-cigarettes are safer in terms of secondhand smoke, but nicotine is nicotine, and it’s still a toxin,” she said. “I do think they are safer alternative in terms of the environment however.”
Oberlin said she thinks a lot of people are cautious about allowing e-cigarettes to become more commonplace in public spaces, because young children are impressionable.
“I don’t think they want to encourage young people to take up the habit, even if it’s safer,” she said. “If smoking e-cigarettes is allowed indoors and in public, they might see it as acceptable behavior. Even though it is somewhat safer than the alternative, allowing it would be an acceptance.”
Electronic cigarette juice is displayed at Butt Out, Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 in Tempe. Proponents of e-cigarettes say they are a healthier alternative to conventional tobacco products, but critics warn that they may have dangerous side effects. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)The FDA conducted an analysis on samples of electronic cigarettes. They purchased two samples of electronic cigarettes, which included 18 varieties of flavors and nicotine. The Center for Drug Evaluation, which is under the FDA, found “the product contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed.”
DPA’s testing also suggested the control processes of some e-cigarettes are inconsistent or non-existent. Testing revealed that some brands of e-cigarettes contain diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze, which is toxic to humans.
The FDA isn’t the only one expressing concerns. According to research from France’s National Consumer’s Institute, e-cigarettes contain the same amount of the carcinogenic compound formaldehyde as regular cigarettes. The research also said e-cigarettes contain quite a few potentially carcinogenic chemicals, like acetaldehyde.
Acetaldehyde is an air pollutant that comes from combustion, such as automotive exhaust and tobacco smoke. It has been known to cause abnormal muscle development as it binds to proteins.
Other studies suggest e-cigarettes successfully reduce cravings for tobacco cigarettes, with only minimal side effects.
In a new study published by theInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, scientists at KU Lueven have reported that electronic cigarettes offer smokers a realistic way to quit smoking.
Researchers examined the effects of e-cigarettes in 48 participants who were all smokers with no intention to quit.
The participants were divided into two e-cigarette groups, which were allowed to vape e-cigarettes and smoke tobacco cigarettes for the first two months of the study. Another group, which was the control group, only had access to tobacco products.
During the second phase of the experiment, the control group was given e-cigarettes and was monitored for a period of six months.
E-cigarettes proved to be just as effective in relieving the urge to smoke as cigarettes. The long-term analysis results showed that smokers were more likely to trade traditional tobacco cigarettes for e-cigarettes.
The study revealed 21 percent of all participants had stopped smoking tobacco almost entirely, and 23 percent said they were cutting the number of tobacco cigarettes they smoked each day by half.
The study also showed that “(electronic cigarettes) contain 100 to 1,000 times less toxic substances and emulate the experience of smoking a tobacco cigarette.”
Tempe ban
History junior Jared Pitts exhales vapor from his electronic cigarette, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014 at CityScape in downtown Phoenix. Proponents of e-cigarettes say they are a healthier alternative to conventional tobacco products, but critics warn that they may have dangerous side effects. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)Although some studies portray e-cigarettes as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, Tempe City Council voted to restrict the use of e-cigarettes in bars, restaurants and enclosed public places, making Tempe the first Arizona city to implement such restrictions.
The council voted 5-1 on July 31 to place e-cigarettes under the same restrictions as tobacco cigarettes.
The council decided to implement this ban, because there is no solid research saying e-cigarettes were not harmful. Cities like Los Angeles and New York have also implemented similar limitations.
Chemistry graduate student Sethuraman Senthilnathan said he never tried e-cigarettes because he doesn’t know enough about them but has seen his friends and other students on campus use them.
“I know they give the same amount of kick as normal cigarettes but without the smoke,” he said. “Anyway, it is still harmful and not something for me.”
English junior Russell Crane said he has tried both tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
“It’s just like a cigarette to me, but it tastes better,” he said. “I think Tempe might want to ban them, because they might be seen as a distraction in public places.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of the article incorrectly stated the FDA's approval of e-cigarettes. This version has been updated with the correct information.
Reach the assistant news editor at kgrega@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @kelciegrega
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