Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 24 January 2018

Do e-cigarettes help or harm? Report says not clear yet

By MATTHEW PERRONE flavors and customizable including e-cigarettes.
AP Health Writer products available in spe- The regulatory delay was
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elec- cialty shops and online. intended, in part, to give
tronic cigarettes could be There are few long-term companies more time to
a boon to public health or studies on their health im- research their products.
a major liability, depend- pacts and no consensus After reviewing more than
ing on whether they help on whether they are ef- 800 studies, the panel
Americans quit smoking or fective in helping smok- reached a series of con-
encourage more young ers quit, according to the clusions largely in line with
people to try traditional report requested by the prior assessments by other
cigarettes, a new report Food and Drug Adminis- researchers. For instance,
concludes. tration. the panel found "conclu-
The report issued Tuesday The FDA gained authority sive evidence" that most
wrestles with the potential to regulate the devices in e-cigarettes contain nu-
benefits and harms of the 2016 after years of push- merous chemicals that
vapor-emitting devices In this Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 file photo, a doctor holds an back from the industry. But can be toxic.
which have been sold in e-cigarette in a smoking lab at the Centers for Disease Control last year the agency said it However, there is equally
the U.S. for more than a and Prevention in Atlanta. would delay the deadline strong evidence that e-
decade. But those effects Associated Press for manufacturers to sub- cigarettes are far less dan-
may not be known for de- the National Academies uid nicotine solution into mit their devices for review gerous than traditional
cades, in part, because of of Sciences, Engineering vapor and have been until 2022. The decision cigarettes.
how slowly illnesses caused and Medicine committee promoted to smokers as was blasted by anti-smok- The experts found "sub-
by smoking emerge. that studied the issue. "In a less dangerous alterna- ing advocates who say stantial" evidence that
"In some circumstances, other cases, such as when tive since they don't have some e-cigarette manu- young people who use e-
such as their use by non- adult smokers use them to all the chemicals, tar or facturers target kids with cigarettes are more likely
smoking adolescents and quit smoking, they offer smoke of regular ciga- candy and fruit flavors. to try cigarettes. On the
young adults, their ad- an opportunity to reduce rettes. E-cigarettes and The FDA has signaled its other hand, experts found
verse effects clearly war- smoking-related illness." similar vaping devices intention to begin pushing only "limited evidence"
rant concern," said David E-cigarettes have been have grown into a $4 bil- U.S. consumers away from that cigarettes are effec-
Eaton, of the University of sold in the U.S. since 2007. lion-dollar U.S. industry with traditional cigarettes to- tive tools to help adult
Washington, who headed Most devices heat a liq- thousands of varieties of ward alternative products, smokers quit.q
Spacewalking astronauts give

new hand to robot arm

By MARCIA DUNN NASA TV came alive and meter, long and weighing
AP Aerospace Writer began broadcasting the more than 440 pounds, or
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. event with typical blow-by- 200 kilograms — needed
(AP) — Spacewalking as- blow commentary. to be replaced because of
tronauts gave a hand to Space station operations wear and tear. It's been in
the International Space were largely unaffected orbit, grabbing cargo cap-
Station's big robot arm by the three-day shut- sules and performing other
Tuesday. down. Considered essen- chores, since 2001.
As the federal government tial personnel, Mission Con- Tingle had to use extra
NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, top, and Scott Tingle work
outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, Jan. 23, geared back up 250 miles trol kept watch as usual at muscle to release a stub-
2018, to give the robot arm a new hand. below, NASA astronauts Johnson Space Center in born bolt securing the
Associated Press Mark Vande Hei and Scott Houston. Vande Hei per- spare mechanical arm.
Tingle successfully installed formed a similar space- "Nice work," Vande Hei
the new mechanical grip- walk last October, when said. "And the crowd goes
per. Because of the lin- he replaced the first of two wild," chimed in Mission
gering effects of the gov- original hands on the Ca- Control. Next, the space-
ernment shutdown, the nadian-built arm. This sec- walkers wrested the old,
spacewalk got started in ond new hand will go on degraded hand from the
the morning without cov- the opposite end of the 58- robot arm. Once the new
erage on NASA TV. An on- foot arm, able to move like hand was in place, a soft-
air message simply stated: an inchworm by grabbing ware issue cropped up
"We regret the inconve- hold of special fixtures. briefly. Six hours into the
nience." Nearly an hour into The bulky bundle of latch- spacewalk, NASA de-
the spacewalk, however, es — more than 3 feet, or a clared victory.q