Electronic Cigarettes: The Controversy Over Tobacco Smoking

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigs or vape pens are so often negatively looked upon as sources of addiction, rather than the health cigarette substitute they really are. E-cigarettes allow the delivery of nicotine to the blood without the nasty side effects caused by tars and carcinogens in traditional cigarettes. The electronic cigarette was patented by Herbert A. Gilbert in 1963, who lived in a society where smoking was generally accepted or even the norm but he saw the dangers of smoking tobacco and was one of the first to try to innovate alternate intake methods. 40 years later Han Lik, a chinese businessman, began to further expand on Herbert A. Gilberts idea of delivery of nicotine without the plethora of harmful chemicals in a lit cigarette. An electronic cigarette is a battery powered device often designed to look like a regular cigarette, inside the e-cig is an atomizer which heats up a liquid containing nicotine. When heated up the liquid becomes a vapor that can be inhaled, similar to cigarette smoke.

As e-cigarettes become more popular and more visible, young people will start trying and using these products. And because products keep changing, they will often try different kinds of e-cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are devices that deliver aerosolized nicotine to the user by heating a liquid (typically propylene glycol) containing nicotine and flavoring agents. Most devices share a common design – a plastic tube containing a battery, an airflow sensor, a heating element and a cartridge containing the liquid (Figure 1).

The popularity of e-cigarettes and vapes has grown exponentially within the last couple of years. These two alternatives offer a “safe” way to consume nicotine or just a substitute to regular cigarette smoking. These products omit water vapor instead of tobacco smoke, constructing it as less of a health risk. Nicotine can be added to the mixture to help quit smoking or offer a healthier option to those with nicotine dependence. There has not been widespread research on conventional e-cigarettes, in addition to data on vapes been relatively premature. These smoking devices have not be regulated by the FDA yet, but the FDA has looked into e-cigarettes and its contents (FDA, 2015). Many e-cigarettes that are thought to be free of nicotine, have

The use of e-cigarettes has been growing substantially in recent years as a much safer and healthier alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes. The use of e-cigarettes is also known as vaping since e-cigarettes work by using water vapor instead of smoke, and they closely emulate the look and feel of smoking without the harmful health effects of tobacco smoke. While many people enjoy the benefits of vaping, there are several myths about vaping that have sprung up recently that are simply not true.

The profitable business of electronic cigarettes has raised over $3 Billion dollars annually, vastly spread across over 466 brands which have joined the ordeal. Above all, known as a “gateway drug”, electronic cigarettes have claimed the once-ordinary lives of people, specifically to those who have turned from tobacco cigarettes. What is more, scientists have determined that not enough research has been executed to automatically assume the healthiness of e-cigarettes. Despite this, many have claimed that e-cigarettes, are, and will be the new “healthy” drug, so to speak. Provided that e-cigarettes do not release harmful smoke, they are still not safe for one’s health given that not enough research has been performed on them.

“In 2009, 8.2% of middle school students and 23.9% of high school students reported current use of any tobacco product, and 5.2% of middle school students and 17.2% of high school students reported current use of cigarettes” (CDC, Tobacco Use, Para. 5). Tobacco products are always going to be accessible to the kids of the nation. But e-cigs are still only for men and women above the age of 18, and I.D. is required to purchase anything related to the products. I questioned 50 people who use e-cigs or e-cig products if they ever felt the desire to smoke a regular cigarette since they began using a vape. Out of 50, 36 said that they have never felt the desire to smoke a cigarette, and they didn’t get any nicotine in the juice they used. 10 of the 50 stated that they would rather use their vape, but sometimes they crave a cigarette. The other 4 said that they would rather have a cigarette but are quitting. Some even stated that they use their vape as an excuse to not smoke. They don’t feel as pressured to smoke whenever they are able to use the e-cigs around smokers. Most people who have smoked their entire lives and decided to quit and start vaping usually start out at a high level of nicotine then slowly work their way down to lower levels. “We followed 477 users of electronic cigarettes during one month and 367 users over one year. 22% had stopped smoking after one month and 46% after one year.

Why isn't vaping as harmful as Tobacco? Professionally made vape juices only have four ingredients instead of hundreds of harmful ones such as paint, rat poison, arsenic, and numerous other deadly chemicals. Vape juice should only contain Flavoring, Vegetable Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, nicotine if asked for, and distilled water sometime used to dilute if needed.

The plans of the e-cigarette go back to the 60s, and the devices idea was originally created by Herbert Gilbart in 1963. 20 years later the cigarette “smoke free” cigarette was created by Dr. Norman. Around 15 years later the e-cigarette as we know today was created by a chemist named Hon in China (N). In just 3 years electronic cigarettes began to increase in use and popularity. Overall, there are an estimated 600 different ingredients in an average e-cigarette. In the popular “Juul” e-cigarette the ingredients are, glycerol, propane glycerol, natural oils, extracts and flavor, nicotine, and benzoic acid (“What Is in a JUULpod Juice?”). The e-cigarette does not contain tobacco, but within all of these ingredients there, is one major one nicotine (“Rise in E-Cigarette use”). Most e-cigarettes do contain nicotine, which it can lead to poisoning(“Rise in E-Cigarette use”) In 2013, it was shown that the largest sale of the electronic cigarette was in local convenience

Last but not least, e-cig juice is a liquid flavored nicotine but it sounds harmless. Contact with this on your skin can be really dangerous and drinking it can be just as bad. Kids could get ahold of the e-cig juice and think that it’s an actual juice flavor because of the word juice. They could get hurt because of the e-cig juice. They don’t even say what ingredients are in the e-cig

E-cigarettes have exploded onto the scene in the past three years. Whole stores dedicated to these devices have opened their doors to the public and business is thriving. E-cigarettes are battery-charged devices that have an atomizer, or heating element, in them to vaporize liquid nicotine. The user is able to inhale this vapor and get the nicotine without the other 4,000 chemicals present in tobacco cigarette smoke (Schroeder). Nicotine is a chemical that is produced by the tobacco plant. People have discovered that by smoking the leaves of a tobacco plant the nicotine in the leaves is delivered into the bloodstream. Nicotine by itself is not an awful drug as far as drugs go, although it is highly addictive, it is the tar in cigarettes that does so much damage. Tobacco use remains the number one preventable cause of death in the U.S. with 480,000 Americans dying prematurely from tobacco related disease. Kicking this habit remains difficult for most (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Mark Twain once wrote “It’s easy to quit smoking, I’ve done it hundreds of times.”

Electronic cigarettes are designed to replicate cigarettes without the smoke, tobacco, and tar. Although smokers enjoy the electronic version of a cigarette, many non-smokers are not too fond of being around one. These devices provide nicotine to the user by converting a liquid mixture to an aerosol, usually composed of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavored chemicals, and a varying amount of nicotine (Grana). Electronic cigarettes have caused a major debate among doctors, smokers, and non-smokers on whether the use of e-cigarettes is safe enough to be used in public. Based upon studies and research, smokers should be able to use electronic cigarettes in any public place they choose.

The electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, is growing in popularity in the United States among people who are trying to quit smoking. The e-cigarette gives the nicotine and physical sensations that the brain craves, while supposedly reducing the amount of harmful substances and smoke found in true cigarettes. However, e-cigarettes remain unregulated and are purely experimental in many ways. The side effects of e-cigarettes are allegedly less extreme and are not as slow as other nicotine replacements. The fast acting nicotine replacement gives attempting quitters an alternative option to smoking regular cigarettes, with fast crave quenching ability.

On the contrary to the general concept and motif behind the production of e-cigarettes, several studies have proven that these electronic devices that were created as an unassailable and riskless alternative to derail and overcome one’s cigarette addiction and dependency, happen to be equally as harmful and destructive as the nicotine infused drug. Maria Mironidou Tzouveleki, Evanthia Tzitzi, and Panagiotis Tzitzis stated “The vapour of e-cig contains toxic and dangerous substances as the smoke of conventional cigarette but in different quantities.” (Mironidou Tzouveleki, Tzitzi, 2015, p. 235.) Ever since e-cigarettes made their debut in the market back in 2003, researches had their doubts and implications about this particular substitutive

Electronic cigarette takes the form of the real tobacco cigarette smoking devices of pipes, cigars or cigarettes. However, most of the e-cigarette comes in various appealing and innovative devices of ballpoint pens or screw drivers. Most e-cigarette implements could be re-used as they come with replaceable and refillable equipment. On the other hand some of the electronic cigarette devices are disposable.