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Top scientists warn WHO not to stub out e-cigarettes
(L-R) Electronic cigarette vaporizers Cera and Luna by Thermo-Essence Technologies are pictured in San Carlos, California May 2, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/STEPHEN LAM
(Reuters) - A group of 53 leading scientists has warned the World Health Organization not to classify e-cigarettes as
tobaccoproducts, arguing that doing so would jeopardize a major opportunity to slash disease and deaths caused by smoking.
The UN agency, which is currently assessing its position on the matter, has previously indicated it would favor applying similar restrictions to all nicotine-containing products.
In an open letter to WHO Director General Margaret Chan, the scientists from Europe, North America, Asia and
Australia argued that low-risk products like e-cigarettes were "part of the solution" in the fight against smoking, not part of the problem.
"These products could be among the most significant health innovations of the 21st century – perhaps saving hundreds of millions of lives. The urge to control and suppress them as
tobacco products should be resisted," the experts wrote.
Leaked documents from a meeting last November suggest the WHO views e-cigarettes as a "threat" and wants them classified the same way as regular tobacco products under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). (
link.reuters.com/muq69v)
That has set alarm bells ringing among a number of medical experts - and in the booming e-cigarette industry. A total of 178 countries are parties to the international convention and are obliged to implement its measures, with the United States the one notable non-signatory.
A move to classify e-cigarettes alongside regular cigarettes would push countries into taking similar tough measures to restrict demand, including raising taxes, banning
advertising, introducing health warnings and curbing use in public places.
Uptake of electronic cigarettes, which use battery-powered cartridges to produce a nicotine-laced inhalable vapor, has rocketed in the last two years and analysts estimate the industry had worldwide sales of some $3 billion in 2013.
But the devices are controversial. Because they are so new there is a lack of long-term scientific evidence to support their safety and some fear they could be "gateway" products to nicotine addiction and tobacco smoking - though the scientists said they were "unaware of any credible evidence that supports this conjecture".
In response to the scientists' letter, Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "The overall impact of e-cigarette use on public health is currently unclear. While they could prove to be an important tool to help people stop smoking, the unregulated status of e-cigarettes is problematic."
BIG TOBACCO BACKS SCIENTISTS
For tobacco companies seeking to offset the decline in traditional smoking, investment in e-cigarettes was an obvious choice and all the major players now have a presence, prompting Big Tobacco to line up behind scientists on this occasion.
Kingsley Wheaton, director of corporate and regulatory affairs at British American Tobacco, said classifying e-cigarettes as tobacco products would mean smokers find it harder to access a less risky alternative.
In a declaration of interests, none of the scientists said they had received funding from tobacco companies. However, some have carried out research on e-cigarettes or acted as consultants for drug companies making other smoking cessation products, including
GlaxoSmithKline,
Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer.
The Geneva-based WHO said its position on e-cigarettes was still in flux ahead of a key meeting on the FCTC scheduled for October 13-18 in Moscow, where proposed regulations will be discussed.
"At this point the only thing I can say is that we are elaborating these regulations and they will soon be available to you," Armando Peruga, program manager for the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative told reporters this week.
Gerry Stimson, emeritus professor at Imperial College London and one of the organizers of the letter to Chan, told Reuters that the WHO's position was "bizarre" and its stance on e-cigarettes was harsher than that of regulators in Europe and the United States.
"We want to make sufficient noise now before things get too set in stone," he said.
विश्वतम्बाकू दिवस ३१ मई के लिए ख़ास
पोस्ट
सिगरेट से होने वाली नुकसानी को कम करने का एक उपाय और विकल्प ई -सिगरेटों के रूप में गत शती का एक महत्वपूर्ण नवप्रवर्तन (नव उपाय )था। सिगरेट आदमी निकोटिन के चस्के से बंधा पीता है मरता सिगरेट के धुएं से है जिसमें तम्बाकू के जलने से तम्बाकू जैसा ही एक पदार्थ पैदा होता है टार। यही वह पदार्थ है जो फेफड़ा कैंसर की वजह बनता है अलावा इसके तम्बाकू के उच्चतरतापमान पर जलने से (ऐसा सिगरेट में प्रयुक्त कागज़ और तम्बाकू के एक साथ जलने से दहन से कंबश्चन से होता है )अनेक कैंसर समूह के रोग पैदा करने वाले कार्सिनोेजन पैदा होते हैं। जो सेकिण्ड कैंसर की वजह भी बनते हैं। (सेकिण्ड कैंसर प्राथमिक कैंसर उपचार के छ :माह के भीतर भी हो सकता है ,यह कैंसर के स्थान बदल मेटास्टेसिस से अलग होता है ).
माहिरों का मानना ई -सिगरेट जैसे विकल्प आज़माये जाने चाहिए जो इस सदी में होने वाली तकरीबन एक अरब मौतों को मुल्तवी रखने का साधन बन सकते हैं। ऐसा ही एक और उपाय है। snus .बताते चलें फिलवक्त दुनिया भर में १. ३ अरब लोग धूम्रपान करते हैं भारत की स्वप्न नगरी मुंबई में स्मोकर्स अब पहले से ज्यादा सिगरेट प्रतिदिन पी रहे हैं। यह एक खतर्नाक स्थिति है कैंसर होने पर इलाज़ के पैसे नहीं निक्लेंगे घर से। पढ़िए इसी विषय पर एक व्यापक रिपोर्ट तम्बाकू निषेध दिवस पर :एक गोपनीय दस्तावेज़ के प्रकटीकरण से विश्वस्वास्थ्य संगठन की ई -सिगरेटों पर रोक लगाने की मंशा सामने आई है। यदि ऐसा होता है तो यह दुर-भाग्यपूर्ण कदम होगा जिसका आधार ई -सिगरेटों के मुताल्लिक गलत जानकारी बनेगी जिसके तहत कहा गया था की ये भी उतनी ही नुकसानी का सबब बनती हैंजितना रेगुलर सिगरेटें । माहिर इसकी तस्दीक नहीं करते हैं :
