Untersuchungen haben ergeben, dass einige Tabakunternehmen Nikotin in E-Zigaretten durch ähnliche Chemikalien ersetzen, um die Gesundheitsvorschriften zu umgehen. Diese Chemikalien, bekannt als Nikotinanaloga, haben ähnliche Eigenschaften wie Nikotin, aber ihre gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen sind unbekannt.

In what appears to be an effort to bypass public health regulations covering vaping products, some tobacco companies have begun replacing nicotine in e-cigarettes with related chemicals that have similar properties but unknown health effects, Duke Health researchers report.

In a research letter appearing Aug. 7 in JAMA, study authors at Duke and Yale University also found that the quantity of these chemicals, known as nicotine analogs, are not accurately disclosed on the packaging.

“Vaping products containing nicotine are subject to federal laws that prohibit sales to people under the age of 21,” said study co-author Sairam V. Jabba, D.V.M., Ph.D., a senior research scientist at Duke University School of Medicine.

“Nicotine analogs are currently not subject to the FDA process and have not been studied for their health effects,” Jabba said. “Our analysis of some of these analog-containing vaping products sold in the U.S. found significant and concerning inaccuracies in the ingredients these products claim to contain and what they actually contain. Further, it’s possible manufacturers are attempting to avoid FDA tobacco regulation.”

One chemical, known as 6-methyl nicotine, has been shown in rodent experiments to be far more potent than nicotine in targeting the brain’s nicotine receptors and more toxic than nicotine. Another, called nicotinamide, is marketed as targeting the same brain receptors as nicotine, despite evidence it does not bind to these receptors.

[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2822083](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2822083)

Tobacco industry is one of the few which actively work at killing off their consumers.