Everyone has seen people walking around smoking this odd looking thing and puffing out what is thought to be smoke but it has no odor. The newest fad are electronic cigarettes which some say are a great alternative to regular cigarettes. Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist, patented the product in 2003 and it hit the Chinese market the following year. How does this product actually work?
According to HowStuffWorks, e-cigs work very differently than regular cigarettes which must be lit in order for you to be able to smoke them. Electronic cigarettes don’t require any combustion. Instead, “it heats a nicotine liquid and converts the liquid to a vapor, or mist, that the user inhales” (Susan). Some products have a manual switch to begin using it and others don’t require anything you can just inhale and it works. There are three parts to an e-cig: a rechargeable lithium battery, a vaporization chamber, and a cartridge. The lithium battery is what powers the cigarette and some can be charged to reuse them. The battery is connected to the vaporization chamber which contains electronic controls and is in a tube. In this tube there is an atomizer which is what produces the vapor. In order to use the cigarette, you must attach a cartridge containing nicotine liquid to the vaporization chamber. There is a mouthpiece on the tip of the cartridge (Susan).
When you inhale, it sends a signal to the atomizer which then begins heating the liquid in the cartridge and turns the liquid into a vapor. Nicotine goes straight to the lungs, and the vapor gets puffed out. The liquid is glycol, which many times is flavored (Susan).
Electronic cigarettes seem to be a good alternative because it provides the nicotine to the smoker, which is what they are addicted to, without all the other “junk” inside of a regular cigarette. In theory it sounds good, but scientists are starting to look at the cons as well. With most things there are health and safety risks. E-cigarettes have not been proven to be a bad thing, but who knows what science will prove tomorrow. For now, they have been a satisfying alternative for smokers, and they are definitely a benefit to those of us who do not appreciate second hand smoke. All in all, they are a cool invention that hopefully leads to a healthier life for the smoker.
Sources:
Cassidy, Susan. HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
I think e-cigs are a great alternative if you can’t kick the habit of smoking, because it eliminates the problem of second-hand smoke. I hate when I walk by someone smoking and breathe in the smoke that they have just exhaled. Also, the smell of regular cigarettes lingers on the smoker, so they constantly smell like a cig, which is very unattractive. Here are some facts about second hand smoking: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/general_facts/