Study: Some flavored e-cigarettes in the U.S. market abuse nicotine analogs to circumvent FDA regulation

Study: Some flavored e-cigarettes in the U.S. market abuse nicotine analogs to circumvent FDA regulation

A study by Duke University and Yale University in the United States found that some tobacco companies use unregulated nicotine analogs in e-cigarettes, and the content does not match the packaging labels, which seriously misleads consumers. The health effects of these nicotine analogs are not yet clear, and they may circumvent existing FDA regulations.

According to Mirage News on August 8, health researchers at Duke University in North Carolina reported that in order to circumvent public health regulations covering e-cigarette products, some tobacco companies began to replace nicotine in e-cigarettes with related chemicals with similar properties but unknown health effects.

In a research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on August 7, the authors of the Duke and Yale study also found that the amount of these chemicals (called nicotine analogs) was not accurately disclosed on the packaging.

"Nicotine-containing e-cigarette products are restricted by federal law and are prohibited from sale to people under 21 years of age," said Sairam V. Jabba, D.V.M., Ph.D., a senior research scientist at Duke University School of Medicine and co-author of the study. "Nicotine analogs are currently not subject to FDA procedures and their health effects have not been studied. Our analysis of some e-cigarette products sold in the United States that contain analogs found significant and concerning differences between what these products claim to contain and what they actually contain. In addition, manufacturers may be trying to avoid FDA's tobacco regulation." The study highlights that a chemical called 6-methylnicotine has been shown in rodent experiments to be more effective than nicotine in targeting the brain's nicotine receptors and is more toxic than nicotine. Another chemical called nicotinamide is promoted as targeting the same brain receptors, despite evidence that it does not bind to them. These nicotine analogs are added to flavored e-cigarettes, which previous studies have shown to be more popular among young people and first-time e-cigarette smokers. Jabba and colleagues, including co-senior author Sven Eric Jordt, Ph.D., analyzed an e-cigarette product called Spree Bar, which comes in at least nine flavors and is labeled to contain 5% 6-methyl nicotine. The results showed that the actual level of the chemical was about 88% lower than the label indicated. The e-cigarette also contained an artificial sweetener that is 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar, and an artificial coolant that mimics the effects of menthol.

A second brand of e-cigarette (marketed as Nixotine, Nixodine, Nixamide, and Nic-Safe) contained a nicotine analog called nicotinamide, also at levels lower than the label indicated, combined with an undisclosed amount of 6-methyl nicotine. This brand did not contain sweeteners or coolants.

"These products appear to be designed to circumvent laws and regulations designed to protect people, especially children, from the harmful effects of smoking and tobacco use. We do not know what these chemicals do when heated and inhaled. These questions should be answered before the products are allowed to market."