How Safe is the Electronic Cigarette?

The electronic cigarette or e-cigarette, is a singular product that uses a lithium ion battery and a small heating element called an atomizer to vaporize a solution into vapor that may be breathed and exhaled much like traditional smoke. The difference? There is no combustion, just vaporization. This loses the tar to the user and the second hand smoke normally associated with cigarettes.

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The opponents of the technology have cited various reasons as to why the electronic cig should be illegal. The commonest debates include ; they might be marketed to youngsters and they have not been proven as an efficient and safe smoking termination device by the FDA.

James Watt, Electronic Cigarette Association Vice Head honcho , addressed these concerns by stating "Although some unscrupulous suppliers won't be verifying age before selling the product, the majority are only selling to those of legal smoking age. To ban a product due to some bad apples is not sound policy. "

And when questioned about the safety and efficacy of the electronic cig as a smoking suspension device, Mr. Watt replied by saying, "For those who wish to claim it's a smoking cessation device, then they should do the testing. I suspect smokers should have a right to select a substitute for smoking that doesn't contain the 4,000+ chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Give up or die is a flawed philosophy"

And what is in the solution that the e-cigarette vaporizes? The most typical ingredients include Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Water, Flavoring, and optionally - nicotine. The solution, or "ELiquid", comes in numerous levels of nicotine or no nicotine at all.

Dr. Murray Laugesen of Health New Zealand is the premiere analyst undertaking the questions and worries that arrise from the use of the electronic cigarette. He's done not simply a clinical study on a brand of cartridges, but he has conducted the sole controlled test of the electronic cig to date, as reported in the prestigious New Scientist.

Dr. Laugesen observed that "All pointers so far show the device is safe. Whether it will be a successful smoking device in the future depends on whether executives wrap it in cotton-wool regulations or allow smokers to purchase it with a modicum of reasonable safety checks."

The Electronic Cigarette Association's mission is "to institute and promote industry-wide standards and a code of behavior, work to maintain sound professional practices, educate the public and policy-makers on the industry's activities and potential, and ensure the moral use of electronic cigarette technologies."

The industry advocates proper labeling, encourages retailers to check identification of customers and notes that electronic cigarette companies in good standing validate age prior to transacting online purchases. In a recent industry study that included a random sample of US electronic cigarette customers, the average respondent's age was 44 years old. Further, with an average product price of about $100, it can hardly be called kid-friendly.

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