Jump to full article: ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation (ph), 2009-08-07
Author: Kristine Servando, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak
Intro: MANILA - "Want to quit smoking? Try electronic cigarettes - the odorless, cancer-free, and healthy way to smoke!"
The sheer novelty of this claim is probably what attracted smokers and non-smokers alike to electronic cigarettes or "e-cigarettes," a product that has created a lot of buzz in the Philippine market in the past month. It is typically marketed as a "safer way" to smoke or quit smoking.
Marketing executive Baroy Morga, 31, is virtually the only e-cigarette user in the company he works for, and only one of a few Filipinos who are trying out the product. He has been smoking an average of 15 sticks a day for 10 years now and has been trying to quit the habit.
The e-cigarette, he said, has eased off the amount of nicotine and tar levels he used to get from real cigarettes while at the same time satisfying his cigarette cravings. . . .
Since they are not yet available in commercial establishments, these products are usually purchased online or in select stores like Cash & Carry.
"The issue with it is it's not distributed properly. It's not advertised, and not a lot of people know about it. There's a problem of accessibility," Morga said.
. . .
In a statement issued on its website, FDA representatives also noted that quality control measures in e-cigarette manufacturing are nonexistent, and there is no guarantee that the products are safe.
The e-cigarette products sold in the Philippines do not come with a warning label or a list of ingredients, and the Bureau of Food and Drugs has yet to issue an approval.
E-cigarettes have been banned by Israel, Australia, Canada, and Mexico over safety issues, while the US has strictly monitored e-cigarette shipments at its borders.
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