'Electronic cigarettes' not approved in U.S., Canada

[Christopher]

With the price of cigarettes and tobacco products seeing the latest jump in federal taxes, there's a new interest in what are being dubbed "electronic cigarettes" or "e-cigarettes."

But they have yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and most researchers call them "untested and, likely, unsafe."

Electronic cigarettes cost $35 to $40 each. The cartridge you insert inside an electronic cigarette is $5.

Electronic cigarettes look like the real thing. They use a battery-powered system that vaporizes tobacco and delivers a liquid chemical mixture that may include nicotine, propylene glycol and other chemicals, FDA officials say.

The Ruyan Group Ltd., of Beijing, developed the first electronic cigarettes.

U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg sent the FDA a letter Monday, asking the agency to ensure e-cigarettes are not sold until they've been studied further.

Canadian officials are also warning that the items are not approved under Canada's Food & Drug Act.

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