User:quackGuru/Sand 10

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Blu
Product typeElectronic cigarette
OwnerImperial Brands
CountryUnited States
Introduced2009; 15 years ago (2009)
MarketsWorldwide
Websiteblu.com

blu is an electronic cigarette brand produced by Fontem Ventures and owned by owned by Imperial Brands.[1] The brand blu sells various types of rechargeable and disposable e-cigarettes.[2] The brand blu sells its products worldwide.[2] The center of operations of blu is based in Amsterdam.[citation needed] Although the International Agency for Research on Cancer does not consider nicotine to be a carcinogen, several studies demonstrate it is carcinogenic.[3]

History

blu was launched in May 2009 by Australian entrepreneur Jason Healy and other investors in Charlotte, North Carolina.[4] Jason Healy is the founder and former president of blu.[5] Healy called blu "a lifestyle brand for smokers".[6] Lorillard Tobacco Company purchased the bluCigs brand for $135 million in April 2012[7][8] and expanded into the UK market by taking over the existing Skycig brand for an estimated $49 million in October 2013.[9][10] By acquiring the blu brand, Lorillard Tobacco Company became the first of the Big Tobacco companies to enter into the e-cigarette market.[11]

Skycig was dissolved in March 2014 as Lorillard announced that all of its products would be sold under the blu brand.[12] blu eCigs was criticized for selling the company.[13] All the posts on the blu eCigs’ website criticizing the company were removed.[13] blu eCigs went from 10,000 to 136,000 retailers selling blu after Lorillard acquired the brand.[14] blu eCigs closed their Edinburgh site in 2015 in the US putting 55 jobs at risk.[15]

When Lorillard was purchased by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, blu was sold to Imperial Brands as part of a $7.1 billion deal between the two companies, to avoid any potential inquiries from antitrust regulators, as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco already owned the e-cig brand Vuse.[16] Imperial Brands is the world's fourth largest tobacco company.[17]

In 2015 blu eCigs' website stated, "our position is that electronic cigarettes are addicting."[18] In 2015 blu eCigs was the second most popular e-cigarette brand in the US with sales of 23.6% dollar, 17.3% unit.[19] blu sells its products worldwide.[2]

In 2016, the e-cigarette brand JAI (also owned by Fontem Ventures[20]) was discontinued to focus more attention on building the blu brand of e-cigarettes.[21]

On April 8, 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Marketing Denial Order (MDO) to Fontem US for its myblu pod vape device and multiple flavors of refill pods.[22] The FDA determined that the applications lacked sufficient evidence to show that permitting the marketing of these products would be appropriate for the protection of the public health.[22]

Products

myblu flavor pods
myblu flavor pods

blu offers both rechargeable and disposable electronic cigarettes such as blu PLUS+ and blu DISPOSABLE.[2]

The myblu product line was launched in 2018 and uses prefilled pods.[23] The pods use nicotine salt and are available in different flavors.[24]

Research

blu eCigs were used in a health study involving other e-cigarette brands.[25] The study found that e-cigarette smoking and exposure to e-cigarette aerosol has risks of inducing gene-expression changes in bronchial airway epithelium in vitro although less severe than those of smoking analog cigarettes.[25] It further found that these changes were more pronounced in products containing nicotine than those without nicotine.[25] A 2015 study found the average amount of copper in blu eCigs aerosol was at 6.1 times higher than traditional cigarette smoke.[26] A 2014 study tested 55 chemicals in e-cigarette aerosol for both blu and SKYCIG devices and found acrolein, acetaldehyde, and propionaldehyde at amounts 86 to 544 times less than in cigarette smoke.[27]

Nicotine carcinogenicity

Nicotine poses an array of health risks[3] such as the stimulation of cancer development and growth.[28] The International Agency for Research on Cancer does not consider nicotine to be a carcinogen, though several studies demonstrate it is carcinogenic.[3] Because it can form nitrosamine compounds (particularly N-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone (NNK)) through a conversion process, nicotine itself exhibits a strong potential for causing cancer.[29] About 10% of breathed in nicotine is estimated to convert to these nitrosamine compounds.[29] Nitrosamine carcinogenicity is thought to be a result of enhanced DNA methylation and may lead to an agonist response on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which acts to encourage tumors to grow, stay alive, and penetrate into neighboring tissues.[29]

Food and Drug Administration investigation

On September 12, 2018, the US FDA issued letters to the manufacturers of the five top-selling national US e-cigarette brands, including blu, that made up a vast majority of the products illegally sold to minors.[30] The US FDA asked each company to submit to them within 60 days plans describing how they will address the widespread youth access and use of their products.[30]

If they fail to do so, or if the plans do not appropriately address this issue, the US FDA will consider whether it would be appropriate to revisit the current policy that results in these products remaining on the market without a marketing order from the agency.[30] This could mean requiring these brands to remove some or all of their flavored products that may be contributing to the rise in youth use from the market until they receive premarket authorization and otherwise meet all of their obligations under the law.[30]

Advertising and sponsorship

Blu sponsored a NASCAR driver
Blu sponsored a NASCAR driver

blu eCigs had the most advertising expenses, accounting for more than 75% of the entire e-cigarette advertising in 2012.[31] More than 60% of 2013 expenses were for blu eCigs.[32] In 2012 blu was the first to launch a tv ad as an e-cigarette company in the US.[6] At this time, only television ads for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco were banned in the US.[33] The advertisement included actor Stephen Dorff.[33] Between 2011 and 2013, around 4 out of 5 of the e-cigarette TV commercials were viewed by young people were from the blu eCigs brand.[34] blu eCigs puts restrictions on advertising placement in order for viewers to consist of no less than 85% adults "in an effort to minimize any potential exposure to minors," according to a company statement.[35]

Concerns arose from statistics that indicate minors who viewed e-cigarette TV commercials increased 250% from 2011 to 2013.[36] "In 2014, Lorillard's blu eCigs ran a radio advertising campaign to oppose the effort to amend Los Angeles's existing smokefree law to include e‐cigarettes. The campaign urged users to attend city council hearings and testify against the ordinance, and blu eCigs retweeted posts, used similar hashtags to those of e‐cigarette user groups and trade associations, and encouraged its followers to retweet these messages," according to a 2016 report.[37]

In January 2017, blu ran a "Cigarette Amnesty" campaign in the UK across three cities in which smokers were encouraged to throw their cigarette packets into a shredder.[38] In June 2017, blu's parent company, Fontem Ventures, also ran a "Science Of Vaping" tour at the thecentre:mk in the UK which aimed to educate the public about e-cigarettes.[39]

Blu has sponsored racing teams in the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series, including the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team.[40] Blu has also sponsored the Richard Childress Racing team in 2019.[41]

References

  1. ↑ LaVito, Angelica (13 November 2018). "Blu e-cigarette maker plans to restrict online sales amid FDA crackdown on teen use". CNBC.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Fontem Venture's blu Debuts Global Marketing Campaign". Convenience Store News. 8 April 2016.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chaturvedi, Pankaj; Mishra, Aseem; Datta, Sourav; Sinukumar, Snita; Joshi, Poonam; Garg, Apurva (2015). "Harmful effects of nicotine". Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. 36 (1): 24. doi:10.4103/0971-5851.151771. ISSN 0971-5851. PMC 4363846. PMID 25810571.
  4. ↑ "Business North Carolina - March 2013: cover story". 2015-09-05. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  5. ↑ "E-Cig Maker Develops Foursquare-Style Check-In for Hookup Hunting Nicotine Addicts". 2011-04-19.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Daniel Nasaw (5 December 2012). "Electronic cigarettes challenge anti-smoking efforts". BBC News Online.
  7. ↑ "Lorillard Acquires blu ecigs for $135M". Progressive Grocer. 25 April 2012.
  8. ↑ "Lorillard Acquires blu ecigs". CSP Daily News. 25 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "Lorillard buys UK-based electronic cigarette firm". Yahoo Finance. 1 October 2013.
  10. ↑ "Lorillard Acquires UK E-cigarette Brand". Yahoo Finance. 3 October 2013.
  11. ↑ Mangan, Dan (15 July 2014). "Feeling blu? E-cig company spun off in major tobacco deal". CNBC.
  12. ↑ "Electronic cigarette company Skycig becomes Blu eCig - Design Week". Design Week. 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Otterbourg, Ken (March 2013). "Vapor trails". Business North Carolina. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05.
  14. ↑ Giovenco, Daniel P.; Hammond, David; Corey, Catherine G.; Ambrose, Bridget K.; Delnevo, Cristine D. (2015). "E-Cigarette Market Trends in Traditional U.S. Retail Channels, 2012–2013". Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 17 (10): 1279–1283. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntu282. ISSN 1462-2203. PMC 4683368. PMID 25542918.
  15. ↑ Gareth Mackie (2015-08-26). "Jobs at risk as e-cig firm Blu shuts Edinburgh site". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  16. ↑ Bray, Michael J. de la Merced and Chad. "To Compete With Altria, Reynolds American Is Buying Lorillard". DealBook. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  17. ↑ Mangan, Dan (15 July 2014). "Feeling blu? E-cig company spun off in major tobacco deal". CNBC.
  18. ↑ John R. Roby (14 August 2015). "Health Department proposes indoor ban on e-cigarettes". Pressconnects.
  19. ↑ Vonder Haar, Melissa (18 August 2015). "Nielsen: Electronic Cigarette Sales Growth Declines". CSP Daily News. Winsight Media LLC.
  20. ↑ Martinne Geller (4 February 2015). "Imperial Tobacco widens e-cigarette strategy with new brand agency". Reuters.
  21. ↑ "Fontem Ventures abandonnerait la JAI pour la Blu | Vaping Post". Vaping Post (in français). 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "FDA Issues Marketing Denial Orders to Fontem US for myblu Products". Food and Drug Administration. 8 April 2022.
  23. ↑ "Blu launches electronic vaping product Myblu". Drug Store News. 21 February 2018.
  24. ↑ DSN Staff (15 April 2019). "Blu expands myblu Intense lineup". Drug Store News.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Moses, Elizabeth; Wang, Teresa; Corbett, Sean; Jackson, George R.; Drizik, Eduard; Perdomo, Catalina; Perdomo, Claudia; Kleerup, Eric; Brooks, Daniel; O’Connor, George; Dubinett, Steven; Hayden, Patrick; Lenburg, Marc E.; Spira, Avrum (January 2017). "Molecular Impact of Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Exposure in Human Bronchial Epithelium". Toxicological Sciences. 155 (1): 248–257. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfw198. ISSN 1096-6080. PMC 5216655. PMID 27701119.
  26. ↑ {{cite journal|last1=Lerner|first1=Chad A.|last2=Sundar|first2=Isaac K.|last3=Watson|first3=Richard M.|last4=Elder|first4=Alison|last5=Jones|first5=Ryan|last6=Done|first6=Douglas|last7=Kurtzman|first7=Rachel|last8=Ossip|first8=Deborah J.|last9=Robinson|first9=Risa|last10=McIntosh|first10=Scott|last11=Rahman|first11=Irfan|title=Environmental health hazards of e-cigarettes and their components: Oxidants and copper in e-cigarette aerosols|journal=Environmental Pollution|volume=198|year=2015|pages=100–107|issn=0269-7491|doi=10.1016/j.envpol.2014.12.033|pmc=4323666|pmid=25577651}|bibcode=2015EPoll.198..100L}
  27. ↑ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; et al. (Committee on the Review of the Health Effects of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) (23 January 2018). "Chapter 5 TOXICOLOGY OF E-CIGARETTE CONSTITUENTS–Carbonyl Compounds". In Stratton, Kathleen; Kwan, Leslie Y.; Eaton, David L. (eds.). Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. p. 183. doi:10.17226/24952. ISBN 978-0-309-46834-3. PMID 29894118.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  28. ↑ Mravec, Boris; Tibensky, Miroslav; Horvathova, Lubica; Babal, Pavel (2020). "E-Cigarettes and Cancer Risk". Cancer Prevention Research. 13 (2): 137–144. doi:10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-19-0346. ISSN 1940-6207. PMID 31619443.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Bracken-Clarke, Dara; Kapoor, Dhruv; Baird, Anne Marie; Buchanan, Paul James; Gately, Kathy; Cuffe, Sinead; Finn, Stephen P. (2021). "Vaping and lung cancer – A review of current data and recommendations". Lung Cancer. 153: 11–20. doi:10.1016/j.lungcan.2020.12.030. ISSN 0169-5002. PMID 33429159.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 "FDA takes new steps to address epidemic of youth e-cigarette use, including a historic action against more than 1,300 retailers and 5 major manufacturers for their roles perpetuating youth access". United States Food and Drug Administration. 12 September 2018.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  31. ↑ Chu, Kar-Hai; Unger, Jennifer B.; Cruz, Tess Boley; Soto, Daniel W. (2015). "Electronic Cigarettes on Twitter – Spreading the Appeal of Flavors". Tobacco Regulatory Science. 1 (1): 36–41. doi:10.18001/TRS.1.1.4. ISSN 2333-9748. PMC 5108448. PMID 27853734.
  32. ↑ Kornfield, Rachel; Huang, Jidong; Vera, Lisa; Emery, Sherry L (2015). "Rapidly increasing promotional expenditures for e-cigarettes". Tobacco Control. 24 (2): 110–111. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2014-051580. ISSN 0964-4563. PMC 4214902. PMID 24789603.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 O'Toole, James (11 June 2013). "Big Tobacco back on TV with e-cigarette ads". CNNMoney.
  34. ↑ Karen Kaplan (2 June 2014). "Teens and young adults confronted by more TV ads for e-cigarettes". Los Angeles Times.
  35. ↑ Hope T. Jackson (2 June 2014). "E-Cigarette TV Ads Target Kids, Study Finds". ABC News.
  36. ↑ Colin Daileda (18 June 2014). "E-Cigarette Brands Battle to Keep Marketing Rights". Mashable.
  37. ↑ Cox, Elizabeth; Barry, Rachel Ann; Glantz, Stanton (2016). "E-cigarette Policymaking by Local and State Governments: 2009-2014". The Milbank Quarterly. 94 (3): 520–596. doi:10.1111/1468-0009.12212. ISSN 0887-378X. PMC 5020143. PMID 27620685.
  38. ↑ Hannah Ellison (9 January 2017). "Behind the scenes: Blu hosts cigarette amnesty pop-up".
  39. ↑ "Mayor of Milton Keynes officially opens Science of Vaping Tour". MKFM. 23 June 2017.
  40. ↑ "blu eCigs Expands Partnership With Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing". CSP Daily News. 29 April 2013.
  41. ↑ "blu Enters NASCAR, Partners With Richard Childress Racing". CStore Decisions. 28 August 2019.

External links

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