Electronic Cigarettes and your Health

Electronic Cigarettes and your Health
Michael Frisch
COM/156
10/11/2013
Myrene Magabo
Electronic Cigarettes and your Health

The Creation In a constant upgrading society, things continuously get more advanced every day, and thus the demand for better quality, lower priced merchandise. In the world of tobacco smokers, they strive to find healthier more efficient alternatives to get the nicotine they enjoy. In 2003 the first electronic cigarette was created and patented by Hon Lik, and introduced into the Chinese market. Today the electronic cigarette comes in numerous sizes, shapes, designs, and strengths. The electronic cigarette was created with the purpose and intent to replace a traditional tobacco cigarette by its design, taste, and the vapor it produces. The demand for electronic cigarettes is rapidly rising, however; the demand to know what effects truly transpire from vaping is following close behind.
The Purpose The electronic cigarette was created with the purpose and intent to replace a traditional tobacco cigarette by its shape, flavor, and the vapor it produces. When the electronic cigarette was created, it was meant to have the same capacity, and feel as a traditional tobacco cigarette. Tobacco smokers don’t just smoke for the nicotine, but for the habit, and the taste as well. The electronic cigarette was created to match all the same aspects that a smoker has grown accustomed too. Traditional tobacco cigarettes contain over four thousand chemicals, most of which are unknown to its users. These chemicals are also not listed on the boxes, or anywhere in the warning labels. “Electronic cigarettes come in a variety of shapes and models, but most consist of a battery, a heating element, and a liquid that contains nicotine, propylene glycol and flavorings. The heating element warms and aerosolizes the liquid, turning it into a vapor the user inhales. Smoking an e-cigarette (called "vaping"), gives users a nicotine hit without exposing them, or those around them, to tobacco smoke (Aschwanden, 2013). The only chemicals that can be found in an electronic cigarette are the ones put there by the company or manually by the user, and it is usually a combination of a specific flavoring, PG, VG, and nicotine. PG stands for propylene glycol, which is an organic compound used in a variety of applications, and most foods, while VG which is vegetable glycerin, is used the same way in electronic cigarettes. All electronic cigarettes are created with the same key parts, a battery, a battery casing, and an atomizer with positive and negative posts. There are many variations that differentiate from company to company or user to user. Once understanding how these components work together they can easily be modified to your own expectations. When you hit the firing button on your battery case, the battery sends a charge through the plates to the atomizer, the atomizer heats up in the positive posts, and sends the charge through the wire, around the coil filled with your liquid nicotine, and produces vapor to be inhaled. “Liquid nicotine is vaporized into steam by an atomizer. This allows the user to inhale vapor that looks and feels just like smoke. This provides the most realistic smoking experience without the damaging effects of carcinogens or tars” (Dorey, 2010). These effects can be intensified by products and different selections, depending on the users set up and equipment. It is a safe and fairly simple process, and most of the newer electronic cigarette companies take these steps away for you, so all you have to do is drip your liquid nicotine in the cautomizer and charge your battery.
Reasons to Switch There are many reasons you should consider switching from traditional tobacco products to electronic cigarettes. Although quitting smoking can be a very difficult task, electronic cigarettes can not only fill your nicotine cravings, but also help with the physiological effects as well. Not to mention the drastic improvement to your health and well-being you will receive. The electronic cigarette looks just like tobacco cigarettes and even glow red at the ends of the battery. They produce vapor that looks like smoke and can be held between your fingers giving you the same sensation, thus making it much easier for you quit. A few benefits you can gain to your health by switching to electronic cigarettes include, less toxins and chemicals, odorless on the breath, no teeth with no discoloration, and no huge risk of cancer and other related diseases that follow regular tobacco products” (ECV, p.1, 2013). They also have other benefits not only to your life, but also the people around you as well. Electronic cigarettes don’t produce ash, or harmful second hand smoke, they also don’t follow regulated smoking bans in public places, and there completely odorless and harmless to others. Unlike tobacco smoking, electronic cigarettes also gives you the flexibility and comfort to match vaping to your lifestyle. You gain so much more variety concerning different flavor selections, and the flexibility to vape when and where you want to. You also have so many more options to discover with hundreds of thousands of different flavors to choose from, and with some companies, the ability to create your own. You can also choose the amount of nicotine you want in your liquids, which is important if you’re trying to quit because you can slowly cut down until your smoking no nicotine. With all the benefits you gain from switching to electronic cigarettes it’s hard to see why anyone would try other expensive products or supplements.
American Only Just like any other hobby, electronic cigarettes can be very addicting, and you can become very creative with them. In the grand scheme of things, however; it can save your wallet some very hard times as well. Electronic cigarettes can be very sleek and slim and smaller then a regular analog cigarette, while custom MOD’s can easily be bigger than your cable box. Before making your decision to switch over to electronic cigarettes you should do your homework and look for a well-known and trusted company in the United States. Most people whom may be new to vaping typically go with the first company they see, or claims to be the best, but this can turn out to be a very poor decision and ruin your entire vaping experience. When making the all-important decision to try vaping for the first time you should look for a product that requires little to no labor to work and function properly. For most people without a back-round or knowledge of electrical components and configuration, your best bet is to look for a standard analog-sized battery with a cautomizer, and liquid you just drip into the top, and attach it to the battery. Any products produced in the United States are much safer and a healthier alternative than anything you can order from overseas companies. Products not produced and constructed in the Unites States are not regulated by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) or come with safety labels or a list of chemicals that may be in them. E-liquids especially shouldn’t be purchased outside the United States because they main contain foreign or more harmful unknown chemicals which can’t be traced. All products sold inside the US are through businesses that have to comply with safety regulations, list all ingredients, and are typically made from all natural flavorings inside the United States. You should also look for companies that have been around for quite a while, and there not just starting up. This will make sure you get a fair price on a starter kit, and products that have been around long enough and are trusted by most users.
Do it for your health The demand for electronic cigarettes is rapidly rising, however; the demand to know what effects truly transpire from vaping is following close behind. The world of vaping and the creation of electronic cigarettes has been far and in between, but the benefits gained from them there is no comparison. Electronic cigarettes have changed the world as we know it, and saved countless lives because of its substitution from tobacco cigarettes. As technology continues to grow and upgrade every day, vapers all over will continue to make better quality vaporizers at a lower price. Researchers will continue to conduct studies, as the tobacco companies and the government try to monopolize on the product in any way they can. As Bill Godshall said, “I’m not saying that e-cigarettes are safe, but those who have exaggerated the health or safety risks of e-cigarettes in an attempt to scare the public are far greater threats to public health than are e-cigarettes themselves.”

References
Electronic Cigarette Weekly. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.electroniccigaretteweekly.com/2010/10/pg-vs-vg-whats-right-for-you-.html
Why should you switch to E-Cigarettes?. (April 5, 2013 ). Retrieved from http://electroniccigaretteville.com/why-should-you-switch-to-e-cigarettes/
Christie Aschwanden, C. (September 19, 2013). Should smokers switch to e-cigarettes? Retrieved from http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130919/LIFE/309190302/-1/LIFE/
Dorey, H. (12/08/2010). Electronic Cigarettes. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/817052700

References: Electronic Cigarette Weekly. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.electroniccigaretteweekly.com/2010/10/pg-vs-vg-whats-right-for-you-.html Why should you switch to E-Cigarettes?. (April 5, 2013 ). Retrieved from http://electroniccigaretteville.com/why-should-you-switch-to-e-cigarettes/ Christie Aschwanden, C. (September 19, 2013). Should smokers switch to e-cigarettes? Retrieved from http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130919/LIFE/309190302/-1/LIFE/ Dorey, H. (12/08/2010). Electronic Cigarettes. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/817052700