( CNN ) -- For the makers of electronic cigarettes , today we are living in the Wild West -- a lawless frontier where they can say or do whatever they want , no matter what the consequences . They are free to make unsubstantiated therapeutic claims and include myriad chemicals and additives in e-cigarettes . Big Tobacco desperately needs new nicotine addicts and is up to its old tricks to make sure it gets them . E-cigarettes are being aggressively marketed to children with flavors like Bazooka Bubble Gum , Cap ' n Crunch and Cotton Candy . Joe Camel was killed in the 1990s , but cartoon characters are back promoting e-cigarettes . Many e-cigarettes look like Marlboro or Camel cigarettes . Like their old-Hollywood counterparts , glamorous and attractive celebrities are appearing on TV promoting specific e-cigarette brands . Free samples are even being handed out on street corners . A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the promotion of e-cigarettes is reaching our children with alarming success . In just one year , e-cigarette use doubled among high school and middle school students , and 1 in 10 high school students have used an e-cigarette . Altogether , 1.78 million middle and high school students nationwide use e-cigarettes . The three largest cigarette companies are all selling e-cigarettes . Because tobacco use kills more than 400,000 people each year and thousands more successfully quit , the industry needs to attract and addict thousands of children each day , as well as keep adults dependent to maintain its huge profits . Nicotine is a highly addictive substance , whether delivered in a conventional cigarette or their electronic counterparts . The potential harm from exposure to secondhand emissions from e-cigarettes is unknown . Two initial studies have found formaldehyde , benzene and tobacco-specific nitrosamines ( a well-known carcinogen ) coming from those secondhand emissions . We commend New York City recently for banning the use of e-cigarettes indoors . No e-cigarette has been approved by the FDA as a safe and effective product to help people quit smoking . Yet many companies are making claims that e-cigarettes help smokers quit . When smokers are ready to quit , they should call 1-800-QUIT NOW or talk with their doctors about using one of the seven FDA-approved medications proven to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit . According to one study , there are 250 different e-cigarette brands for sale in the U.S. today . With so many brands , there is likely to be wide variation in the chemicals -- intended and unintended -- that each contain . In 2009 , lab tests conducted by the FDA found detectable levels of toxic cancer-causing chemicals -- including an ingredient used in anti-freeze -- in two leading brands of e-cigarettes and 18 various e-cigarette cartridges . There is no safe form of tobacco . Right now , the public health and medical community or consumers have no way of knowing what chemicals are contained in an e-cigarette or what the short and long term health implications might be . Commonsense regulation of e-cigarettes by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is urgently needed . In the absence of meaningful oversight , the tobacco industry has free rein to promote their products as `` safe '' without any proof . A proposal to regulate e-cigarettes and other tobacco products has been under review at the White House Office of Management and Budget since October 1 , 2013 . The Obama administration must move forward with these rules to protect the health of everyone , especially our children . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Harold P. Wimmer .
Harold Wimmer : New York City was right to ban the use of e - cigarettes indoors . Wimmer : Industry has free rein to promote e - cigarettes as ` ` safe '' without harm . Report ##ing that e - cigarettes are reaching our children with alarming success , he says . Wimmer : The FDA should regulate e - cigarettes and find out what chemicals they contain .