subject: Electronic Cigarette – Things You May Not Have Known About E Cigs [print this page] One thing I have noticed during the course of writing many articles about electronic cigarettes and then talking about them with friends and acquaintances is that there are still many, many people who still don't know what they are or that they even existed!
So, for those that are still unfamiliar with e cigarettes, let's take a quick look at some of the basic facts and also some of the main issues that surround this controversially popular product.
What is an electronic cigarette? Many distributors describe it as a nicotine delivery device or system. Very often an e cigarette can closely resemble (in appearance at least) its tobacco cigarette counterpart.
How long have electronic cigarettes been around? Well, the earliest models surfaced around 6 or 7 years ago but they have only really exploded onto the market and become popular since about 2008.
What makes then different from regular cigarettes? E cigarettes are very different than traditional or analog cigarettes in many ways. Aside from its general make up and its components, perhaps the most outstanding difference is that they don't contain any tobacco. They are also battery operated and reusable. When used, they don't produce any smoke! The smoke like substance you see being exhaled is simply water like vapour, which has very littleodour and evaporates into the air within a few seconds.
How do they work? Well to quote Wikipedia, "In automatic models, when a user inhales through the device, air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes a flavoured liquid solution stored in the mouthpiece, which may contain nicotine." In addition to the automatics there are also manual models in which the user presses a button to activate the heating element.
Why are e cigs so controversial? Many pages could be written on the subject of electronic cigarettes and why they are both popular and controversial. Much of the controversy I suppose has surfaced, partly because of the way they were initially marketed as a "quit smoking" method. Many health authorities are also concerned that even though the device contains no tobacco, it still delivers nicotine (which is addictive) to the user. The e cigarette uses cartridges that contain nicotine of various strengths (to suit the user), although there are cartridges on the market that are completely nicotine free.
So, I hope that helps explain just some of the basics about the electronic cigarette. That really is just the tip of the iceberg and there is lots more information available.
Electronic Cigarette Things You May Not Have Known About E Cigs
