I have noted in the past how prestigious organizations sometimes
spew misinformation about the risks of smokeless tobacco; I have been
especially critical of individuals representing the Mayo Clinic (here), the MD Anderson Cancer Center (here) and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden (here).
Now, e-cigarettes are being institutionally maligned, as in
a particularly egregious December 11 attack-by-press-release at New York
University (here). Under the dramatic headline, “NYU
Researchers are Lifting the Veil on the Hidden Health Impact of Electronic Cigarettes,”
a professor was quoted as saying, “Due to the frequency of puffing, depth of
inhalation, and length of vaping, e-cig users may actually absorb higher
concentrations of nicotine and other toxins than conventional tobacco smokers.”
This allegation is demonstrably false. Numerous published studies comparing
e-cigarette vapor and cigarette smoke reveal that the latter contains much
higher concentrations of nicotine and toxic agents (this is one of many examples). I am not aware of any legitimate study suggesting that vapor is more
toxic than cigarette smoke.
The NYU press release obtained wide dissemination in the
world’s media (example here).
E-cigarettes are used by millions of individuals throughout
the world, the vast majority of them former smokers. The apparently
authoritative press release falsely informed them that vaping is more dangerous
than smoking. Based on this misinformation, it is likely that some vapers
will abandon e-cigarettes and start smoking, which will constitute a public
health tragedy.
It is remarkable that NYU’s press release revealed that Drs.
Lin and Deepak Saxena were planning
to “collect saliva and oral mucosa from College of Dentistry patients who are
e-cig users to determine the relative abundance of oral bacteria and changes in
DNA in these patients in order to compare them with the effects found among
conventional cigarette smokers.” There
is no record that either researcher conducted prior research on the use of
e-cigarettes or any other tobacco product.
Because NYU orchestrated the global dissemination of this false
claim of vaping danger, I asked school officials to issue a press release
retracting the statement. They did not respond.
