PH vapers hail US FDA paper on nicotine

Vapers in the Philippines hailed a recent policy paper from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stating that nicotine, although not totally risk-free, was not directly responsible for fatal lung and heart diseases.

In a recently published paper, the US FDA said, “It is the other chemical compounds in tobacco, and in the smoke created by setting tobacco on fire, that directly and primarily cause the illness and death — not the nicotine.”

Vaping, or the use of e-cigarettes, is increasingly getting popular in the Philippines. E-cigarettes deliver nicotine through liquid heated in a device that releases vapor or aerosol. Unlike smoking, there is no burning of tobacco.

Tom Pinlac, president of The Vapers Philippines, said the US FDA was the latest in a growing number of government agencies worldwide that adopt the use of e-cigarettes as part of tobacco-control programs.

Edward Gatchalian, president of Philippine E-liquids Manufacturers Association and HS Liquids Inc., also lauded the US FDA paper.

“Nicotine is the addictive chemical in cigarettes that makes people hooked to smoking, but it is the toxic gases in cigarette tar that kills smokers,” Gatchalian said.