The electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, is the newest gadget marketed to appeal to lovers of cigarettes, cigars or pipes. It runs on batteries and provides the smoker with doses of nicotine by way of a vaporized propylene glycol/nicotine solution.
The vapor as well gives the person a natural sensation and a taste like that of inhaled tobacco smoke. Nonetheless, there is literally no smoke or tobacco.
The e-cigarette, which was designed in China, is offered in quite a few models, each one with a number of variations. Most products have been purposely designed to look like a true cigarette, cigar or pipe. A comparatively ordinary design looks like a ballpoint pen. Regardless of the individual style, each product has a mouthpiece, heating element, rechargeable battery and a number of electronic circuits. After you use up the nicotine in the e-cigarette, you buy a replacement cartridge.
When a smoker inhales using the product, a sensor detects air flow. This in turn kicks on a heating element to vaporize a nicotine solution stored in the mouthpiece. This is the vapor the user inhales. The opposite end of the product contains an LED that activates every time a person inhales. It shows the e-cigarette is in use and also gives off an orange glow reminiscent of that of burning tobacco.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries power the heating element of most electronic smoking devices. A variety of chargers are available, including wall outlet, car and USB. The battery normally is the biggest component of the product. The liquid nicotine solution used in electronic cigarettes varies as to flavor and concentration. High-end doses are marketed to mimic the content in regular cigarettes.
Electronic cigarettes are marketed as a healthier choice to smoking tobacco. Their producers state that nearly all of the harmful content that's the side-effect of tobacco combustion is not present in the electronic clones. The products are sold as a way to reduce an addiction to nicotine.
Scientists at the American Legacy Foundation in Washington, DC, are now studying the e-cigarette. The group is considered by many in the nation's capital to be one of the country's most important and well-funded tobacco-fighting organizations. It was founded using the profits from the huge U.S. tobacco settlement of 1998.
The current rise in Federal taxes on cigarettes might trigger some smokers to consider e-cigarettes. The starter kit for one brand, which includes batteries, a charger and four cartridges, sells for $59.00 and up. Subsequent to the first investment, the price works out to about $2.50 per pack. This contrasts with $5.00 to $9.00 per pack of real cigarettes, depending on the brand and sales location.
