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Knowing why e-cigarettes were introduced leads to understanding what electronic cigarettes are. For decades, smokers could light up their tobacco products anywhere they chose. The public viewed smoking as an acceptable habit in the past but the tolerance for cigarette smoking has changed in recent years.

“No smoking” signs are displayed in public buildings and have spread to restaurants, concerts, bars and other public venues where people gather. The dangers of second hand smoke has been scientifically documented and smokers must often go outside to enjoy a cigarette.

The e-cigarette was introduced to the marketplace in 2003 as an alternative for smokers. This personal vaporizer delivers flavor and fulfills the need to nicotine yet does not cause a negative affect on those around you. Shaped like a tobacco cigarette or a ball point pen initially, models are now available to also resemble cigars and even pipes.

Electronic cigarettes are reusable. The best selling model is the automatic style although manually activated models are also available. Some e-cigs come with disposable components while others are refillable.

The flow of air is detected by a sensor that will activate a heating element and that heat vaporizes a solution containing nicotine. The solution may be added with an e-fluid or may be a cartridge located in the mouthpiece. A LED light at the end of the electronic cigarette lights when vapor is produced. Original models of the product routinely used an orange or red LED to resemble the fire of a lit cigarette. Today the user can choose from a variety of LED colors.

On manual models, the user must press a button to activate the heating element and produce a vapor. The same components of electronic circuits and rechargeable batteries are present in both delivery systems, manual and automatic.

The tip or mouthpiece of an e-cig is often round like a tobacco cigarette but there are also versions shaped like a cigar tip. The liquid solution is contained in the absorbable materials in a small cup located in the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is commonly referred to as a “cartridge” and may be refillable or disposable. The “atomizer” is the heating element that changes the liquid into a vapor the user can inhale.

Electronic cigarettes are nothing more than a delivery system for nicotine. A wide variety of flavors of e-liquid are available from suppliers and users can choose from one of several levels of nicotine concentration. The dosage of nicotine resembles various strengths of tobacco products such as regular, light or extra-light. If you have wondered “what are electronic cigarettes” the answer is they are an excellent alternative to tobacco that provides nicotine without affecting your health or the safety of those around you.

Mary Kay Rivers has become a true expert on all facets of e-cigarettes. Her publications about how smokers can save money with e-cigarettes or about the best e-cigarette have become well-known.

Electronic cigarettes have a rather short history. Introduced in 2003 by SBT Co. Ltd of Beijing, China the first e-cigarettes were short on both design and function. After the initial launch of the new products, Ruyan developed the design further using new e-cigarette technology and introduced electronic cigarettes to the European market in 2006. “Electro fag” was the name used in European promotions for the electronic cigarettes.

The first electronic smokes were not envisioned as a replacement for tobacco product. The concept was to provide a nicotine delivery system that smokers could use to soothe their need for a “fix” when they were in situations or locales where smoking tobacco was unacceptable. Marketers trying to sell electronic cigarettes quickly began advertising te products as a way to quit the tobacco habit. This did not gain approval from the e-cig manufacturers and was quickly condemned by the World Health Organization. The safety of electronic cigarettes had not been thoroughly tested and the WHO claimed there was no proof as yet of any benefits to users.

Some smokers think of their e-cigs as a hobby but not a habit. Online forums for “vapers” (those who use electronic cigs) heatedly discuss the merits of one brand over another, the strength of various e-liquids and argue about which e-cig provide the highest volume of vapor to the smoker.

Early e-cigarette designs parroted the image of tobacco smokes. In time, new designs were added as smoking electronically came into its own. Now buyers can choose from a variety of colors stylishly designed and may opt for logos or elegant designs on their e-cigs. Some versions bear little resemblance to traditional cigarettes while others are so closely designed to mimic tobacco products you must look twice to tell the difference. Popularity of e-cigarettes continues to grow.

In 2009, electronic cigarette suppliers formed their own trade association with a goal of providing factual information about electronic cigarettes and correcting misinformation spread by others. The focus is to promote electronic smoking as an alternative to smoking tobacco.

The powerful lobbies have pressured the FDA to ban electronic cigarettes or to strictly regulate their use. Although the FDA seems to have buckled under the pressure a recent court decision may prohibit this government agency from acting in a way that promotes the interests of big tobacco and big pharma.

Misinformation and outright lies have been issued by big tobacco in an attempt to damage the market for e-cigarettes and generate fear in the public. From a distance, it is strange to hear expressions of concern for public health issued by companies that sell the most dangerous product legally available to that public.

An innovative new e-cigarette design is a two piece product with a replaceable cartridge. The mouthpiece is pre-loaded with nicotine solutions. One mouthpiece is equal to approximately one pack of tobacco cigarettes (about 400 puffs). The ability to replace a cartridge with no more effort than is needed to open a pack of cigarettes has been a hit with e-smokers. They no longer need to carry bottles of e-liquid with them wherever they go and no cleaning is required.

Electronic cigarettes may have a short history but there is a huge potential market for these products. Demand continues to increase as more information about the safety and improved quality of the best electronic cigarettes becomes available to the smoking public.

Mary Kay Rivers has become an acclaimed expert on all aspects of electronic cigarettes. Her articles about the FDA’s stance on electronic cigarettes or about the best electronic cigarette have become very popular.

There is little reality in the efforts of big tobacco and big pharma to portray the use of propylene glycol as a danger ingredient in electronic cigarettes. In 1942, studies at the University of Chicago’s Billings Hospital seemed to show inhalation of vaporized propylene glycol might cause pneumonia and other respiratory diseases in mice. Later studies to follow up were conducted on monkeys and other animals in an attempt to understand long term effects. The results of the extended testing showed no ill effects or potential for accumulation of propylene glycol in the lungs.

The FDA and tobacco companies were quick to cry “danger’ and point to an ingredient that has been judged safe to use for many years. There is primary truth that is totally ignored in the warnings. We know smoking almost anything is safer than smoking tobacco.

In e-cigarettes propylene glycol is used to dilute the nicotine and provide a solution that can be vaporized and deliver nicotine to the e-smoker. PG is a commonly used food additive and is the substance used in fog machines. It also appears on the label of ingredients of many of the food products we routinely buy.

It is interesting that the many cautions about propylene glycol found online are not found on scientific or medical sites or referenced as articles in scientific journals. The dire warnings are on conspiracy blogs, natural healing sites and on the sites of anti-smoking groups. Several entries claim that propylene glycol is antifreeze. No. Not true. That would be ethylene glycol.

A tremendous amount of information can be found on the internet but it’s important to know who you are listening to. PG is used in baby wipes and even the FDA is unlikely to approve a dangerous product for use on infants. The best electronic cigarettes deliver only a very small amount of PG to the e-smoker. Some e-liquids use glycerol rather than PG as a base but propylene glycol is the most used ingredient in e-liquid solutions.

Consumers are smart to closely examine ingredients in the products they eat or inhale. We have all become more educated about food additives that may cause problems even as they add healthy color. We know to check for a variety of terms when looking for low sugar product as sucrose, fructose and various “syrups” are alternate names for sugar.

Thirty years ago the FDA announced a ban on saccharin and any products containing saccharin. The public was in a panic and threw out their boxes of sweet and low while manufacturers hustled to change the recipes of their food products. Only later was the public told the truth.

To induce cancer in mice who ingested saccharin researchers had provided extremely high doses of the ingredient. The scientific “proof” offered by the FDA was rejected by the scientific community. The affected mice were given a daily dose of saccharin that could only be ingested by a human drinking 400 cans of diet cola a day for many months. Saccharin is totally available to the marketplace today.

Propylene glycol is a necessary ingredient for delivery of e-cig vapor. There is no evidence ths PG causes any danger to electronic smokers despite the efforts of tobacco companies worried about the competition.

Mary Kay Rivers has become an acclaimed expert on all facets of e-cigs. Her publications about COPD and e-cigarettes and about the best electronic cigarette have become very famous.

The way in which electronic cigarettes work is surprisingly simple. We may think of complex systems when the word “electronic” is mentioned but in the case of e-cigarettes there is nothing complicated to worry about.

This is a simple product to use and required no special training or higher education to understand. Technological development has two faces when it’s done well. The first is the technical aspects of creating a product that fills a need or solves a problem in a new and unusual way. The second face of development is creating technology that provides a friendly user experience.

An excellent example of development that results in a user friendly product is the electronic cigarette. The circuitry in the atomizer and battery components of e-cigs combine to form a smoking experience that is simple and satisfying for those choosing a tobacco alternative.

There are two parts used in most electronic cigarettes. These are the battery and the atomizer. Charging the battery for 2-3 hours before initial use of a new cigarette is required. After that one battery can be on the charger which is included in the starter kit while the other battery is in use. Starter kits for the best electronic cigarettes contain one short and one longer batter similar to regular and king sized cigarettes.

Assembling the e-cigarette requires only screwing the atomizer onto a battery and you are ready to smoke. How hard is that? There are no little bags full of small parts to put together. Charge the battery, screw the two parts together and inhale the vapor. That’s all there is to it.

The atomizer is the mouthpiece and the terms are used interchangeably. A small cup inside holds absorbent material saturated with a flavored nicotine solution. Other models come with cartridges pre-filled with e-liquid and are disposed of and replaced as needed. A small heating element located in the atomizer is activated by the battery producing a vapor mist for the smoker to inhale.

Batteries are usually lithium-ion and rechargeable. The quality of the product, the frequency of use and the type of battery will determine battery life. An LED light at the tip of the battery component is meant to represent the burning tip of a cigarette. These small lights were almost always read or orange in early e-cig versions but are now available in almost any color you can think of.

The best electronic cigarettes are automatic and produce vapor when the user draws (puffs) on the mouthpiece. The movement of air through the e-cig activates the heating coil powered by the battery and the result is vapor released by the heating of the nicotine laced e-liquid. As you can see, the electronic cigarette operates on the same principle as a tobacco smoke. With tobacco products, drawing air through the cigarette increases the heat of the fire at the tip and creates smoke. The difference lies in the health benefit of inhaling a vapor mist that quickly dissipates while avoiding the chemical compounds of toxic tobacco smoke.

Mary Kay Rivers has become an acclaimed expert on all facets of electronic cigarettes. Her publications “Are Electronic Cigarettes Safe?” or about the best electronic cigarettes have become well-known.