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.”
There have not been any new medications for help with smoking cessation within the last ten to twelve years and e-cig activists ask, why not e-cigarettes? These advocates believe e-cigarettes can be incorporated into a smoking plan that works and will save thousands of lives (The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association). E-cigarette companies maintain that their goal is to help
Steven Reinberg is a senior staff reporter for HealthDay. He also has won awards for his health journals and has written for both consumer and professional audiences. Reiberg wrote this piece for HealthDay and then it was published on WebMD. WebMD is online source where anyone can go to get health information. All the information comes from over 100 doctors and physicians that WebMD works with so that they can provide accurate information. This article provides information on the the benefits of electronic cigarettes outweigh the harm they might cause. Using the liquid for electronic cigarettes cuts out all the extra chemicals that are found in traditional cigarettes.
One of my first memories in the United States was taking a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) class. I was in sixth grade and a top student, as talking about drugs and alcohol and the way they affect us was fascinating to me. This is why, the following year, I volunteered to become a peer educator in Teens Against Tobacco Use (T.A.T.U). For a couple of years, I gave presentations to young students which included facts, demonstrations, and games, to spread the knowledge that tobacco is harmful and that staying away from smoking prolongs life expectancy and increases the quality of life. It should come as no surprise, then, that I consider myself a big proponent of staying tobacco-free and encouraging others to quit smoking as a great way to promote health. I remember watching my mom and sister as they took part in their nightly ritual of smoking a few cigarettes to unwind. “Did you know that a main component of cigarettes is used as rocket fuel?” I would ask them, as I opened the window and they stared back at me blankly. “We know, we know” was the answer every time. I knew that convincing them to quit was no easy task, but I was committed. Day after day, I proudly stated a new fact about the evils of smoking. Finally one day, they quit. At first, they attributed it to the cost. Since we had just immigrated to the United States, the cost of cigarettes was simply not something they could afford. I didn’t believe it. I proudly
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
Another effective way to quit smoking is to ease the amount of nicotine in one’s body as well as decreasing the stress of completely giving up the habit of smoking. A study performed by Bullen and Etter found that 92% of smokers using electronic cigarettes for three months reduced the total number of cigarettes they smoked (as cited in Rahman et al., 2014). The use of an electronic cigarette reduces a smoker’s need for cigarettes since their mechanisms are like an actual cigarette. These devices also deliver nicotine to the smoker when inhaled, as well as the user can choose the dosage of nicotine they’re receiving. Furthermore, an electronic cigarette user can start with a nicotine dose that is measurable to or higher than a cigarette then over time reducing their quantity until the smoker no longer has the desire to be using the nicotine. This decrease in the amount of nicotine will reduce withdrawal symptoms of the person trying to quit smoking, thus decreasing the smokers need to use real cigarettes. Notably, a clinical trial done by Polosa
The addiction to tobacco, nicotine, and smoking is something the humans have embraced and battled since the early 1800’s. With more and more people falling into the habit and becoming addicted, many detrimental health effects on the body caused people to question what was going on and what was causing these negative reactions in the body. Soon enough, the healthy and “cool” cigarettes that everyone was smoking became the face of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, birth defects, and many other deadly bodily reactions. In the early 2000’s electronic cigarettes (ECs) were developed by a Chinese pharmacist that hoped to allow smokers to maintain their nicotine addiction, but limit or end the harmful and detrimental effects of tobacco on the body, due to his father’s death of tobacco-attributable lung cancer.1 A typical EC consists of a rechargeable lithium battery, a heating tool called an atomizer, which vaporizes a humectant (typically propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and/or polyethylene glycol 400). The humectant contains liquid nicotine. When the smoker inhales, the heating tool is activated by an airflow sensor, and the nicotine is vaporized.1 2
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.
In the past decade e-cigarettes industry has been growing quite rapidly. E-cigarettes were first created as a better alternative to the conventional tobacco cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. However, in todays society they have become a very popular commodity. Likewise, they are mostly used for mere pleasure and not what its original purpose was. Originally the sole purpose of e-cigarettes was to help wean their users off of the unhealthy drugs we all know as the conventional tobacco cigarettes (Dockrell, 1). But are they really the healthier alternative? Absolutely not. E-cigarettes are extremely unhealthy, used as a gate-way substitute, and also affect others who aren’t even directly using it!
We now live in a digital world where everything we use must be battery operated. Our paper and pencils have taken a back seat for Microsoft word. As must everything evolve, cigarettes have taken the next leap of evolution and gone digital. Electronic cigarettes have begun to flood the market with statics of 2 million users and 2.5 billion dollars in profits. Right now a lot is unknown about these devices and there are no safety regulations. Those who oppose and support electronic cigarettes have different views, negatives and positives, of their use. Electronic cigarettes is a controversial issue due to not being safe, a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, marketing toward teens, and an aid in helping smokers quit.
For many people E- cigarettes still remain in the unknown, because they are fairly new. Understanding the them and their effects are very important before you get involved with them. The article “
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
According to the Center for Disease Control, 480,000 Americans die every year from deaths related to cigarette smoking. This costs the public over $300 billion. Have you ever wondered about alternatives to this habit? Have you ever wondered “what exactly is an e-cigarette?” Where did they originate? Does it pose a threat to health? Yes, we know that it is an alternative to cigarette smoking, but what is the big rave about this small device that has the center of attention for smokers? Today we will expand on the history and the science of e-cigarettes, and understand if there are any health factors to consider. We will also look into the legal considerations for e-cigarettes.
It is great that Florida legislation proposed a bill to include e-cigarettes and vaping into their smoking ordinance. I am a hospice nurse and wonder what the effect will be on people who choose to use e-cigarettes as opposed to regular cigarettes. Both contain nicotine. So I agree that using a preventative measure by revising the smoking ordinance will protect public health. Unfortunately, it will probably be many years before we know about the harm and danger that come from e-cigarettes and vaping.
The reason smokers do not like to quit smoking is because there is nothing they can go to that can fulfill what they are looking for once they quit; fortunately, e-cigs can deliver the smoker what they are looking for while keeping them healthy, which helps them quit smoking tobacco. Reinburg believes that electronic cigarettes can be very effective in helping people stop smoking (1). Studies show that sixty percent of people who use an electronic cigarette, instead of a nicotine patch or nicotine gum, have been able to stop smoking tobacco more easily (Reinburg 1). Smoking is a horrible habit which is extremely unforgiving and
According to FDA, conclusive tests carried out on samples from two popular brands revealed that there were significant amounts of nicotine and toxic chemicals that might pose a threat to the health of passionate consumers. In fact one of the substances discovered in the test was a carcinogen (cancer causing agent). Following these epic revelations, the FDA issued a statement warning consumers about the likelihood of experiencing health risks after using the product. Therefore in light of this, many pundits in the health fraternity have raised the red flag on the use of e-cigarettes to counter smoking. Here, it is important to note that FDA only regulates e-cigarettes that are sold for therapeutic purposes