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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Study: E-Cigarettes Harmful to Teens

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Monday, March 19, 2018   

DENVER – An increasing number of teens in Colorado and across the United States are drawn to electronic cigarettes, with such flavors as watermelon and cotton candy. But new research says vaping produces toxic chemicals, even when there's no nicotine in the product.

Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco tested the urine of more than 80 adolescent smokers, and 20 non-smokers. Mark Rubenstein, a UCSF pediatrics professor and the study's lead author, thinks teens need to be warned that the vapor produced by e-cigarettes is not harmless.

"We are finding some of the same chemicals that we see in regular cigarettes in teenagers who are using e-cigarettes," Rubenstein said. "The levels are much lower than in regular cigarettes, but teens should not be exposing themselves to any levels."

He explained that the oils in e-cigarettes, such as propylene glycol and glycerin - although approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration - release harmful toxins when exposed to the high temperatures needed to create vapor smoke.

Dr. Norman Edelman, senior science consultant for the American Lung Association, said Rubenstein's study should sound an alarm about possibly regulating e-cigarettes, which can be a gateway to traditional smoking.

While some localities have laws on the books that limit access, Edelman believes the FDA should extend rules that restrict the use of tobacco to vape products as well.

"And the American Lung Association is rather concerned that the Food and Drug Administration, over a year ago, announced their intention to promulgate such rules, but have not yet done so," added Edelman.

Rubenstein offered one caveat on e-cigarettes, which also are marketed to adults trying to quit smoking.

"We're not saying that adults who are heavy cigarette smokers shouldn't consider these products as a form of harm reduction," he said. "We're just saying that kids should not be exposed to these products."

Colorado law prohibits selling tobacco products to people under age 18, and at least two Denver-area vape shops report that they don't sell even nicotine-free products to minors.



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