Electronic cigarettes, made from microelectronic and supercritical atomizing technologies, are produced in China under the supervision of the China Health Care Society and Beijing Health Care Department. They take the form of a tiny rod which is slightly longer than a normal cigarette. The mouthpiece of the device contains a replaceable cartridge filled with liquid. The main substances contained in the liquid are nicotine and propylene glycol. Senior Health Ministry official Turan Buzgan said import of electronic cigarettes and cigars is under the control of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce because they are imported as “insecticides” due to their nicotine content, adding that the Ministry of Industry should take the necessary measures to ban the usage of electronic cigarettes and cigars entirely.
“One would expect the Health Ministry to be responsible for imported medical products, but the importation of electronic cigarettes is under the control of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Owing to their content of nicotine, such products are brought to the country under the title of ‘insecticide’,” he said.
Buzgan said the Health Ministry will develop a new regulation on electronic cigarettes under which periodic analyses of the devices will be required. “We will inform the public about electronic cigarettes under the new regulation. We will not ban their importation, but the information (printed) on electronic cigarettes will be clearer in the coming days,” he added.
Recalling that such products can be obtained by prescription only in many European countries, including the United Kingdom, Buzgan noted: “We have to be sure that the level of nicotine in e-cigarettes is acceptable. If the level of nicotine exceeds a certain amount they may increase the risk of addiction.”
Medication and Pharmacy Directorate head Mahmut Tokaç criticized electronic cigarette advertisements that claim the product is not harmful to one’s health. Noting that an electronic cigarette contains no tar or other carcinogenic substances, Tokaç said: “Nevertheless, they have many bad effects on human health, from heart disease to high blood pressure because they include nicotine. They also increase the risk of miscarriage and premature birth in pregnant women.”
