Health implications of vaping.

Liquid Verification AEMSA was founded by two vaping advocate volunteers, Lou Ritter and Linc Williams, who have no financial ties to the industry and continue to receive no remuneration. It is an all-volunteer organization that represents American manufacturers of e-liquids whether they sell wholesale or retail, online or in brick and mortar stores. Some non-manufacturing participants, such as consumer advocates and subject matter experts may also join by invitation. “We were concerned about the lack of verifiable product content; there are many individual product Websites, but we didn’t see verifiable product content accuracy and ingredient quality disclosure/accuracy—what ingredients are in these products, the environments in which they are made and we wanted to inform the public about some of the scientific and medical research available,” said Ritter, who serves as president of AEMSA. “Not only that, but prior to AEMSA posting our standards, many consumers didn’t even know what questions to ask. The posted AEMSA Standards provide detailed information to any and all interested parties, including consumers and regulators,” Ritter explained. “Every consumable product has some sort of regulatory guidelines for consumer confidence and stewardship; we thought this one should too.” AEMSA considers the e-cigarette to be a “tobacco harm reduction smoking alternative.” Although the organization acknowledges that nicotine is, as Ritter described it, “an ingredient of concern that requires responsible handling,” it does not view the e-cigarette liquid as a tobacco product. “This is a new category of product,” he emphasized. On AEMSA’s Website (www.aemsa.org) is an extensive set of self-regulatory standards that has been developed “to create responsible and sustainable practices and process for the safe manufacturing of ‘e-liquids’ used in electronic cigarettes” and “to provide consumers with higher degrees of confidence that our members’ products are manufactured with professionalism, accuracy and safety.”
On the site, the organization offers certification criteria and is in the process of actively certifying members, according to Ritter. “We’re establishing a role model for the industry,” he said. The organization also supports continued research and testing to analyze any and all potential health implications of vaping.
Like the other organizations, AEMSA considers itself to be a “voice” for the industry with the FDA and other regulators. Its members believe that the primary focus of any potential regulation needs to be on the e-liquids themselves rather than on the technology because it is the liquids that are being vaporized, inhaled and exhaled. Consumer Focus The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) is another all-volunteer organization formed in 2009 by members of an online forum as an advocacy group to raise awareness and protect consumer right of access to “effective, affordable and reduced harm alternatives to smoking.” “We’re a true grassroots, consumer-focused organization and our mission is to promote Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR), the practice of switching to non-combusted products that could be used as a replacement for smoking,” said CASAA President Elaine Keller. According to its mission statement, the organization was “created as an answer to the anti-Tobacco Harm Reduction groups’ efforts to ban THR products.” CASAA is a registered nonprofit in Alabama and Virginia, and has applied to the IRS for nonprofit 501(c)(4) status. Although it accepts donations from a variety of sources to support its activities, the organization has no financial or policy agreements with the electronic cigarette, tobacco or pharmaceutical industries. Not a trade association, its bylaws strictly limit the number of product vendors to one-third of its board members to prevent industry interests having a majority vote, Keller said. On its Website (www.cassa.org) CASAA provides information for members and the general public in the form of news articles, call to action alerts, scientific research studies, petitions, legal actions and pending legislation. The organization also produces brochures and other printed materials about reduced harm alternatives to smoking. Member activities include writing pro-tobacco harm reduction articles and issuing statements to the media regarding legislation. “For the first half of the year, we usually find ourselves fighting to keep the wolves from the door, trying to prevent proposed legislation limiting where e-cigarettes can be used or levying taxes on any THR product,” Keller noted. The rest of the year, she said, is spent putting together and disseminating information. Keller pointed out that CASAA is also trying to set up a meeting with the FDA to discuss consumers’ points of view and concerns. “They’ve talked to the tobacco people and the e-cigarette people, but not consumers, the stakeholder group that has the most to gain or lose from this regulation,” she said.