Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it plans to start regulating the e-cigarette market for the first time. Currently, the e-cigarette industry generates about $2 billion a year, and this figure likely will continue to rise over the next few years.
The proposed FDA plan would place significant restrictions on the e-cigarette industry, including:
- Curbing sales to minors
- Eliminating free samples
- Requiring the placement of health warning labels on products
- Disclosing the ingredients used in these products
- Banning health-related claims that are not backed up by scientific evidence
However, the FDA’s proposal doesn’t prevent online sales of e-cigarettes, place restrictions on television advertising, or ban the use of flavorings such as watermelon or grape soda, which many tobacco-control advocates claim are aimed at attracting young smokers.
The proposed FDA regulations come at a time when there has been a growing debate over the safety of e-cigarettes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported earlier this month that calls to poison control centers regarding e-cigarette incidents have risen significantly in recent years, and many of these incidents involve children under the age of 6 who have accidentally ingested the liquid nicotine contained in e-cigarettes.
In addition, there are many tobacco-control advocates who fear that e-cigarettes will act as a gateway to smoking, resulting in an increase in the use of tobacco cigarettes. The e-cigarette industry has argued that the reverse is actually true, and that these devices have been helping many smokers quit. Additional research is required to settle this debate.
As with all relatively new, widely consumed, and grossly unregulated products, it is very difficult to truly know the extent to which e-cigarettes present serious health risks to consumers. Over the next few years, it is likely that many studies will be initiated to better determine these risks.
The defective product attorneys at Golomb Legal will be closely monitoring these developments as they take place, and if considerable evidence is presented that indicates e-cigarettes have jeopardized the health and safety of consumers, we will be here to fight for your rights.
If you believe you have suffered an injury caused by the use of e-cigarettes, please contact Golomb Legal today to schedule your free consultation. We represent clients nationwide from our offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.