Irony arrived when I took out the newspaper and found this article by Matt Richtel. The lede:
Electronic cigarettes appear to be safer than ordinary cigarettes for one simple — and simply obvious — reason: people don’t light up and smoke them.
With the e-cigarettes, there is no burning tobacco to produce myriad new chemicals, including some 60 carcinogens.
But new research suggests that, even without a match, some popular e-cigarettes get so hot that they, too, can produce a handful of the carcinogens found in cigarettes and at similar levels.
And later in the article:
[N]ew research suggests how potential health risks are emerging as the multibillion-dollar e-cigarette business rapidly evolves, and how regulators are already struggling to keep pace.
Which sends a stronger message to the young audience targeted by these e-cigarette companies, a sex-laden graphic with a subtext about rebellious behavior, or a thoughtful newspaper story. Not even close, no?
