Cigarettes are killing over 5.4 million people per year in the world. But it’s so hard to quit smoking. Some people use E-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking real cigarettes nowadays.
E-cigarettes, also known as electronic cigarettes and vaporizer cigarettes are devices that emit doses of vaporized nicotine that are inhaled. The device is battery-operated and can also emit non-nicotine vaporized solutions. Manufacturers say they are an alternative for tobacco smokers who want to avoid inhaling smoke. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 different chemicals, many of which are hazardous for human health.
Using an e-cigarette is now known as ‘vaping’, referring to the vapour produced. Because they contain no tobacco, e-cigarettes are not covered by laws banning smoking in a public space, so in theory you can smoke them anywhere – in a car, the pub, and even when you are waiting to pick up your children from the school playground. There is also no age restriction.
E-cigarettes are long-shaped tubes; many look like the product the user used to smoke, such as a cigarette, cigar or pipe. Some look like ballpoint pens (biros). The majority are reusable with replaceable and refillable cartridges. A small percentage of products are throw-away ones – disposable e-cigarettes.
Most of the current models are automatic – as the user sucks on it, a sensor activates a heating element that vaporizes a liquid solution held in the mouthpiece. The user can choose whether or not to have nicotine in the flavored liquid solution. In older models (manual models), there is a little button which turns the heating element on and off. An LED indicates whether the device has been activated when the user inhales.
Electronic cigarettes certainly have their appeal in a gadget-centric world, but many questions remain. Users who inhale too deeply, for example, may inhale some of the liquid nicotine instead of the vapour, which could make the dose unsafe. Headache, high blood pressure, even heart arrhythmia are all side-effects of taking too much nicotine into the bloodstream, so does pregnant women.