Anti-smoking activists are pushing Jordan Creek Town Center managers to evict a kiosk selling "electronic cigarettes."
The battery-operated devices contain no
tobacco, and they don't emit smoke, but activists worry they will lure young people into inhaling noxious fumes.
The sleek kiosk, called Smoking Everywhere, opened a few weeks ago in the West Des Moines mall.
It offers small white-and-tan devices that look like cigarettes. Instead of tobacco smoke, they give off a heated vapor containing nicotine, which is the most addictive part of cigarettes.
Kiosk manager Joshua Ross said he doesn't understand why there's a fuss about his wares. "What you inhale is steam. It's about the same as what comes off a bowl of soup," he said, puffing on a demonstrator model. The vapor he exhaled had very little odor.
Ross touts his product as a safer alternative for people who want to quit or cut down on smoking.
"I guarantee you, cigarettes will kill you 20 times faster," he said.
The American Lung Association isn't buying it. The group recently wrote to mall managers, asking them to evict the stand, which is upstairs near the Baby Gap and Bath & Body Works stores.
"Due to the fact that Jordan Creek Town Center is a family-oriented environment and an establishment many young people frequent, we believe it is crucial that you remove this vendor from your mall immediately, not only for the health of mall employees but also mall guests," the association wrote to the mall's leaders. The group is asking its members to write to mall managers with similar requests.
Kerry Wise, the lung association's director of mission services, noted in an interview that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently put out a warning about e-cigarettes.
The warning said the devices could contain cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, including diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.
Wise said she is unclear whether the devices are safer than real cigarettes.
"The research isn't there on it," she said.
She said she was unsure whether the mall could legally break its lease with the kiosk, which is owned by a Kansas City company.
Wise said she is particularly worried about the fact that the devices come in flavors, including chocolate and vanilla.
"That targets a younger audience," she said.
Ross pointed to a sign on his kiosk, reading: "Must be 18 to try or buy."
He said the rule is strictly enforced.
Ross said he doesn't know of any other retailers selling e-cigarettes in the Des Moines area, though he said such stands are common around the country.
He dismissed the FDA's warning as "propaganda." He said most of his customers already are smokers who want to curtail or quit their habits. The e-cigarettes also allow them to get their nicotine in many nonsmoking areas, including bars, malls and even most airplanes.
"People tell me it's the best thing they've ever done," he said.
Many of the devices are sold online, including by Ross' brand. The company's Web site offers the "Freedom to Smoke Anywhere." It features glamorous people using the product. "Looks like a cigarette. Feels like a cigarette. Tastes like a cigarette. But it isn't a cigarette," the site says.
Ross said the devices are cheaper than cigarettes, which have shot up in price because of recent federal and state tax increases. The metal e-cigarettes cost about $180, but their refill cartridges are only $3. Each cartridge is equal to about two packages of cigarettes, which could cost $14, he said.
Randy Tennison, the mall's general manager, did not respond to requests for comment. Wise said mall managers have not responded to her group, either.
