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What Are The Risks of Electronic Cigarettes?

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Flickr Photo/Ramsey Mohsen

The electronic cigarette industry is booming. By some estimates, it’s expected to rake-in nearly $1.7 billion this year.

Later this month, the Food and Drug Administration will issue its proposals for regulating the sales and marketing of e-cigarettes. In a letter sent last week, Attorney General Bob Ferguson urged the FDA to meet its own deadline of October 31.

Proponents of e-cigarettes say they can actually help people quit smoking. Other aren’t so sure — they’re concerned about e-cigarettes as a gateway to becoming a regular tobacco smoker. Vaughan Rees is a tobacco researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health. He talked with David Hyde about what research is saying about the health risks of e-cigarettes.

Produced by Andy Hurst.

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