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E-Cigarette Education

*** WE ARE TAKING STEPS TO PROTECT EVERYONE’S HEALTH AND SAFETY. *** If you have an appointment with one of our offices but are experiencing these symptoms– fever, cough, shortness of breath– please call (207) 992-4530 to reschedule your appointment or receive services over the phone. ALSO, it is very important to call your doctor’s office. They will decide the next steps you should take. If you do not have a doctor, please call an emergency department.

Many questions remain about these products, and further study is needed to adequately determine any long-term risks as well as any potential benefits of their use.

Public health concerns about these products include the following:

  • E-cigarettes are currently unregulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Nearly 500 brands and 7,700 flavors of e-cigarettes are on the market, all without an FDA evaluation.
  • Youth use is skyrocketing. E-cigarette use among middle and high school students tripled from 2013 to 2014, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). 
  • Unrestricted marketing and advertising. E-cigarette company marketing tactics continue to mirror Big Tobacco’s old strategies such as using celebrity endorsements, sports, music festivals, sex appeal, candy flavoring, and brightly colored packaging to sell their products.

Bottom line, we do not want youth inhaling addictive chemicals, and adults should know which and how much addictive chemicals they are inhaling. Adults also deserve to have a comprehensive picture of the risks and potential benefits of using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool.

BPHCS has launched a public education campaign and toolkit to reach youth who have never smoked tobacco but are now experimenting with vaping, and adults who have switched from tobacco to vaping hoping that it will help them quit their addiction to nicotine.