The winner of the last Duel on the CBC was Brent with 54%.
This week’s topic:
Should e-cigarette ‘vaping’ be allowed in places open to the public?
Like many adults, I grew up in an era when smoking was considered as normal as having a cup of coffee. People smoked everywhere — at home, around their children, in their vehicles, at work, even in the doctor’s office. Knowing what we know now about smoking, as well as second-hand smoke, it seems insane that the habit was so widely accepted.
Today there are few places left where a smoker can enjoy their habit in peace because smoking has been prohibited in most public places, including many parks. This is just one of the many arguments supporters of e-cigarettes and vaping are using to push for public acceptance and promotion of the controversial products on a wide scale — since there is no harmful second-hand smoke, it’s not a threat to the public.
While I understand my Duel partner’s personal concerns and preferences, I have to look at this issue on a much larger and longer-term scale. The fact is there remains considerable concern over both e-cigarettes without nicotine, and those that contain it.
Last week, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a press release that contained some concerning findings on e-cigarettes that need to be considered in this debate.
The FDA tested 18 samples of both non-nicotine and nicotine-containing e-cigarettes from two leading brands, with surprising results. They found low levels of nicotine in all but one of the non-nicotine cartridges, detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals in others with nicotine, and the research suggested the quality-control processes in the manufacturing of these products are “inconsistent to non-existent.” This research was conducted on just two leading brands, which leads me to question what more extensive testing would reveal…
READ the rest of this weeks Duel, vote and comment at http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2014/04/27/more-research-needed-before-allowing-vaping-in-public-places
Westcoast Views with Laila Yuile 
I was at Disneyland last fall, and people were smoking the e-cigarettes all over the park. I don’t know much about them, if they help people quit then that is good, but I imagine there is likely harmful chemicals in them as well.
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