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Health & Fitness

Pallone Calls for Stricter Regulations on E-Cigarettes, Marks 50th Anniversary of Surgeon General Report on Smoking Dangers

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06) spoke to students at Woodbridge High School in Woodbridge, NJ about the possible risks Electronic Cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, pose to public health, as well as their potential for addiction.  Pallone discussed the specific dangers of e-cigarettes, since the complete ingredients in e-cigarette cartridges are not known and often vary between brands.

Pallone called on the Obama Administration to release stricter rules and regulations regarding the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of e-cigarettes.  Additionally, Pallone expressed his concern regarding marketing tactics being employed by some e-cigarette companies, which are similar to those previously used by tobacco companies to appeal to younger people, such as through candy flavoring, cartoon images, and event sponsorships. 

“More information is needed on what these products contain and how they affect the health of those using them, as well as those exposed to them secondhand,” Congressman Pallone said. “We do know that e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive drug. If young people become hooked in adolescence, their ability to break the habit in later years can be extremely difficult. We have a responsibility to protect our young people.” 

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At the event, Pallone also marked the 50th anniversary of the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health.  The landmark 1964 report, which found that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer and is linked to other serious diseases, laid the foundation for tobacco control efforts in the U.S. 

He was joined by Deborah Brown, CEO of the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic, Shirley Genty, Director of the Woodbridge Township Municipal Alliance, Ethan Hasbrouck, Director of State Advocacy for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Larry Downs, CEO of the New Jersey Medical Society, Woodbridge Mayor, John McCormac, and Woodbridge High School Principal, Steve Caroscio.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through the National Youth Tobacco survey, found that, in 2012, 10 percent of high school students reported ever having used e-cigarettes, an increase from 4.7 percent in 2011. The study also found that 76.3 percent of middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days also smoked conventional cigarettes in the same period.  In addition to the unknown health effects of long-term e-cigarette use, these numbers raise concern that e-cigarette use could be an entry point to the use of traditional cigarettes. 

In September 2013, Pallone wrote to Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D, Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging the FDA to act quickly to regulate e-cigarettes, citing concerns about negative health and developmental effects in children, the potential for e-cigarette use leading to smoking, and the advertising tactics used by e-cigarette companies to appeal to children. Read the full text of the letter here: http://1.usa.gov/KPGOlJ.  

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