Health New Zealand research presented in Dublin at the 15th Annual Conference, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, (SRNT) conference, April 2009:

 

1) E-cigarette Safety: Ruyan e-cigarette benchtop tests. Poster 5-11.

 

See. www.healthnz.co.nz/DublinEcigBenchtopHandout.pdf

 

 The poster itself is found in the following two powerpoint files: http://www.healthnz.co.nz/DublinEcigPoster1.ppt and http://www.healthnz.co.nz/DublinEcigPoster2.ppt 

The mist of the e-cigarette has been rigorously tested. Of over 50 priority-listed cigarette smoke toxicants tested, none was detectable in the mist of the RuyanŽ e-cigarette, except for a trace of mercury close to the limit of detection. Some toxicants remain to be tested before the results are submitted for publication.  On the basis of findings to date, inhaling mist from the e-cigarette is rated several orders of magnitude (100 to 1000 times) less dangerous than smoking tobacco cigarettes. The nicotine dose per puff is comparable to that of a medicinal nicotine inhaler. E-cigarette nicotine is apparently not absorbed from the lung, but from the upper airways.

 

Comment: Given that continued smoking of cigarettes carries a cumulative 1 in 2 death risk, the findings, argue for

1) less stringent regulation for very low-risk non-medicinal nicotine cigarette substitute products

2) the sale of this brand as a  non-medicinal cigarette substitute, as its emissions have been tested.

 

Status: June 2009: to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

              August 2009: final tests completed, submitted to journal.

 

 

2) E-cigarette efficacy: Effect of an E-cigarette on Cravings and Withdrawal, Acceptability and Nicotine Delivery: Randomised Cross-over Trial. Poster 5-50,

 

On behalf of Ruyan, manufacturer of the Ruyan V8 e-cigarette, Health New Zealand Ltd sponsored this research carried out in Auckland by researchers at the School of Population Health, University of Auckland. See  http://www.healthnz.co.nz/ecig_effect-2.pdf 

Status March  2010:  In press at First on Line, Tobacco Control. .