CDC: Youth E-Cig Report Concerning

Sixteen million American children can legally purchase e-cigarettes, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It's because of where they live.The CDC says ten states and Washington, D.C. have yet to explicitly ban e-cigarette sales to minors.Federal health officials say their concern goes beyond just nicotine and its effect on adolescent brain development."The aerosol that's emitted from these products has been shown to include harmful and potentially-harmful ingredients. So the contention that these products emit a harmless water vapor is simply not true," said Brian King, Ph.D., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The Food and Drug Administration has proposed a rule that would extend its regulatory authority to cover e-cigarettes and require products developed after February 2007 to undergo premarket approval.In November, house speaker John Boehner and other Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Health and Human Services secretary Sylvia Burwell expressing concern that the 2007 cutoff date will, "impede innovation and impose unnecessary regulatory burdens on both the FDA and regulated industries."E-cigarette advocates point out most electronic vapor products didn't exist before that."The 2007 grandfather date is exactly what will kill thousands of small and medium-size businesses and ban 99.9 percent of products," said Gregory Conley, American Vaping Association.Many e-cigarette proponents support laws banning sales to minors and requiring childproof caps on some products. But they're still at odds with regulators over the emerging science on these products and what it says about the potential effects hidden in the vapor.