Why E-Cigarette Flavorings are Particularly Problematic: UMass Lowell Professor Tickner LIVE

Why E-Cigarette Flavorings are Particularly Problematic: UMass Lowell Professor Tickner LIVE

Moves this week by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to place temporary bans on vaping products “send a signal that the dangers linked to the habit are unacceptable and that we need to regulate the industry,” according to UMass Lowell Professor Joel Tickner.

Tickner joined GoLocal LIVE to discuss the implications of the public policy moves, as they relate to his research.

“My research looks particularly at the dangers, the health implications of chemical exposures — but more importantly I’m interested in what are the better, safer alternatives in a particular product. In the case of e-cigarettes, that function is flavor — and then the question is, is flavor even necessary,” said Tickner. 

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“From a broad perspective, essentially an e-cigarette is a series of liquids that are volatilized with a heat source, then you inhale them as an aerosol -- so you have nicotine, you have flavorings, and then you have other propellant chemicals that get that aerosol, that you inhale,” said Tickner. “Those flavorings obviously are to make the mixture taste not like a bunch of chemicals — and those flavorings as we know are very attractive to children."

"Well, those flavorings are also very toxic when you inhale them. The FDA considers those flavorings to be general recognizes as safe — when we ingest them in food. When you heat them up and inhale them, it becomes a very different story. They get deep in the lungs, they’re very reactive, and they’re very caustic chemicals,” added Tickner.

Watch the rest of Tickner’s interview — BELOW.