KPBS Midday Edition

Vapor Vs. Smoke: A Look At The E-Cigarette Craze In San Diego

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Peggy Pico / KPBS Evening Edition Host, Patty Lane / Producer

Published November 12, 2013 at 8:30 AM PST

This story was published more than 11 years ago.

Vapor Vs. Smoke: A Look At The E-Cigarette Craze In San Diego

GUEST:Dr. Thomas Novotny, Professor of Global Health at UC San Diego, formerly with CDC's Office on Smoking and Health.

Perhaps you've seen their storefronts popping up, or heard their commercials featuring TV celebrities: Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes are devices that deliver nicotine without tobacco.

Promoters say people who use them are exhaling pure vapor instead of cigarette smoke, so they are less dangerous than regular cigarettes and there's no second-hand smoke.

However, many health advocates are wary of the new devices. They say they are largely untested, and claim they are being marketed to teenagers.

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KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

What do you want to hear host Jade Hindmon talk about on Midday?

Peggy Pico

Peggy Pico served as the host of KPBS Evening Edition. Pico originally joined the KPBS newsroom as the science and technology reporter in 2010 after spending two years covering biotechnology and medical news in the Bay Area. Pico was raised in San Diego and has worked as a broadcast journalist in California, Arizona, and Texas. She previously reported for NBC 7/39 where she worked as a medical and science reporter for five years. Pico has won two Emmy’s and numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Associated Press, and the San Diego Press Club. She also received the USC Health Reporter Fellowship and is a member of California Chicano News Media Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

See stories by Peggy Pico