US: New Bill Would Limit Nicotine Content in E-Cigarettes

On October 12, news emerged that earlier this week, U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi announced legislation that would limit the nicotine content in e-cigarette products.

According to an announcement from Krishnamoorthi's office, the proposed bill would limit nicotine content to no more than 20 milligrams per milliliter, aiming to significantly reduce the appeal and attractiveness of these products to young people.

In the European Union, local tobacco product directives have already established such regulations, and experts believe that this measure could have adverse effects on public health.

"As a concerned parent, I am committed to preventing a new generation of nicotine addicts," said Krishnamoorthi, who has been investigating youth smoking trends in Congress. "Limiting nicotine concentrations in e-cigarettes is essential to ending the youth vaping epidemic by making these products less addictive, less appealing to young people, and less harmful to public health. After all, while flavors attract kids, nicotine can hook them and pull them onto a lifelong vaping habit and addiction."

At the same time, throughout the European Union, local tobacco product directives (TPD) have already established such regulations, and public health experts believe that this measure is detrimental to public health.

In fact, health experts in the UK have expressed concern, as the rapid increase in the number of smokers switching to vaping has significantly declined. Although Public Health England has publicly recognized safer alternatives as smoking cessation tools, the number of smokers switching has dropped from 800,000 to 100,000 annually.

"The rapid growth of e-cigarette use has ended, and over a third of smokers have never tried e-cigarettes, citing concerns about safety and addiction as the main reasons. It is crucial for smokers to realize that smoking is far more harmful than vaping," ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) stated in a 2017 press release.

Low-nicotine e-cigarettes make it harder for smokers to quit

A study published last week in the journal Addiction confirmed these concerns, indicating that reducing nicotine content in e-cigarettes may lead users to use their devices more frequently, thereby increasing their exposure to toxins.

"Our findings suggest that smokers looking to switch to e-cigarettes should start with higher rather than lower nicotine levels to reduce compensatory behaviors and e-liquid usage," the study concluded.

Researchers from London South Bank University studied the behavior of 20 e-cigarette users and unfortunately found this to be the case. Smokers using low-nicotine e-liquids not only took deeper and more frequent puffs but also increased the power of their devices whenever possible.

"The use of low-nicotine e-liquids can be associated with compensatory behaviors (such as higher frequency and duration of puffs) and negative impacts, prompting increased VAPE usage and formaldehyde exposure," the study concluded.

"Our findings suggest that smokers looking to switch to e-cigarettes should start with higher rather than lower nicotine levels to reduce compensatory behaviors and e-liquid usage."

Quitters should not start with low-nicotine NRT

Researchers found that despite engaging in such "compensatory" behaviors, participants using low-nicotine still could not achieve satisfactory nicotine levels, although both high-nicotine and low-nicotine e-cigarettes are safer than regular cigarettes. Therefore, lead author Dr. Lynne Dawkins concluded that former smokers should avoid starting with low-nicotine products.