Are Electronic Cigarettes Really Worthwhile?
May 3, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Stop Smoking Aids, Stop Smoking Tools
You might not know that devices called electronic cigarettes are around. Also called e-cigarettes, their basic purchase price seems pretty high, until you realize how much less they cost than cigarettes to last for the same amount of time. Electronic cigarettes look exactly like old fashioned cigarettes, with a tip that glows and something that looks like smoke. However, they don’t burn, don’t cause air pollution the same way as a regular cigarette, and aren’t banned in no smoking zones. There are lots of people everywhere choosing to stop smoking ordinary cigarettes and choosing electronic alternatives.
This is an extremely new type of smoking. It was developed by a Chinese company in 2004, and has been getting more and more popular ever since. Exact sales figures are hard to come by, but the most popular company making e-cigarettes out there says that more than 300,000 were sold last year. Those numbers tell us that many people are choosing to give up regular cigarettes. Sales are rising exponentially as more and more people realize that electronic cigarettes can change the way they smoke. The devices have even been listed in the top ten health trends of the past year. But are they really healthier than plain old cigarettes?
Electronic cigarettes look exactly like the real thing and even feel similar. They aren’t packed with tobacco, though – the weight is mostly a battery. An e-cigarette also contains an LED. The filter area is removable, and holds a cartridge full of nicotine. This nicotine is dissolved in propylene glycol, or PG, used in personal products This is also the compound that makes smoke in nightclub smoke machines. When you choose to take a drag, there’s a pressure sensor inside that switches on a heating coil. The substance inside the cigarette liquefies and is released in a form that is very smoke-like.
A strong cartridge has about the same amount of nicotine as standard strength cigarettes, but you get a lot more out of it – three hundred puffs, not fifteen. These cigarettes aren’t in danger of burning down for slow smokers, either. The cigarette is ready to go when you need it, and by choosing the right cartridge, you can control your nicotine intake. A cartridge is about a dollar and fifty cents. The electronic cigarette does tend to deliver less nicotine than ordinary smoking, which is good from some perspectives, and bad from others.
Each puff releases a tiny amount of alcohol, nicotine, water, propylene glycol and some flavorings. Unlike ordinary cigarettes, however, the electronic cigarette contains few to zero carcinogens – the risk is similar to that of the nicotine patch, not that of smoking. Second hand smoke is also much less of a problem, since these cigarettes don’t release carcinogens or carbon monoxide. They do let off vaporized propylene glycol, which can look like smoke, but isn’t dangerous in the same way.
Some even say that smoking e-cigarettes can help you quit. There’s not currently any scientific evidence for or against it, but slowly decreasing the concentration in your cartridges could be a way to feel like you’re smoking while you’re quitting. Even if smokers continue to use the electronic cigarette, it’s a lot less dangerous than ordinary types, and it’s less expensive in the long run. Plus, you can smoke them inside, since an e-cigarette poses no risk to others and isn’t burning at all. Your clothes don’t smell like smoke, there’s no yellowing of teeth, and all the other side effects of smoking are eliminated, only delivering the nicotine. That means it’s superior to ordinary cigarettes in just about every way.
If you’d like to try a new method of smoking, the electronic tobacco could be what you’ve been waiting for. The price is right, smoking it is clean, and the e-cigarette is extremely handy. These cigarettes are being sold around the world, and sales are soaring. Check out the new e-cigarette, and see why so many people prefer it to ordinary smoking.
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