Science Media Centre

Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner has announced the sale of nicotine e-cigarettes and e-liquid will be legalised. Controls will include restricting sales to over 18-year-olds and prohibiting vaping in indoor workplaces and other areas where smoking is banned under the Smoke-free Environments Act. The Science Media Centre gathered expert reaction on the announcement. Feel free […]

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has announced it will keep its current ban on the sale of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. The reasons for the decision [see pages 71-84] include the risk that any change could re-normalise smoking and concern about a lack of evidence regarding the safety of long-term nicotine exposure through e-cigarettes. The Australian Science Media […]

Electronic cigarettes with flavoured liquids could help with weight control, according to a commentary co-authored by New Zealand researchers. The commentary, published today in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, examined current scientific knowledge of the effect of vaping on weight control. The researchers – including two Massey University academics – said that while research was needed […]

Two new reports suggest using e-cigarettes help people quit smoking, including a Cochrane Collaboration review that included a New Zealand study. A study published in the British Medical Journal this morning suggests the growth in the use of e-cigarettes in England has been associated with a higher rate of successful attempts to quit smoking. A […]

Could fish eyes help solve a donor cornea shortage? Can we objectively tell how much sugar some one has been eating? Do e-cigarettes really help you quit smoking? The New Zealand Health Research (HRC) council is helping Kiwi researchers find answers to these questions through their latest HRC Emerging Researcher First Grants and HRC Feasibility […]

Electronic cigarettes sold in New Zealand are stronger than they used to be, but still contain far less harmful toxicants than regular cigarettes, according to a new analysis of leading brands. The study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, also found discrepancies between labelled and actual nicotine content, prompting a call for better monitoring […]

New research on the nicotine and chemical content of electronic cigarette ‘smoke’ has heated up debate on regulations. Electronic cigarettes sold in New Zealand are stronger than they used to be, but contain far less harmful toxicants than regular cigarettes, according to a new analysis of leading brands published in the New Zealand Medical Journal. […]

A new analysis of e-cigarettes has detected formaldehyde-containing compounds in the vapour the devices produce, raising questions about their potential health effects. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, analysed the aerosol drawn from a typical e-cigarette at different temperatures and found that at the highest temperatures formaldehyde was detected at levels several times […]

Scientists from the University of Auckland have just completed a study indicating that e-cigarettes may help smokers kick the habit. Their research, published in the Cochrane Library this week, combined and analysed data from previous studies looking at the effects of e-cigarettes on rates of quitting or reducing the number of cigarettes smoked. They found that about […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a report looking at electronic cigarettes and how they should be globally regulated. The report recommended restrictions should be placed on the marketing of the devices, their sale to minors and indoor use. In addition, it points out that there is evidence showing that e-cigarette aerosol is not merely “water […]