- In full:
- electronic cigarette
e-cigarette
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What is an e-cigarette?
An e-cigarette is a battery-powered device that resembles a regular cigarette. It consists of a cartridge containing a liquid solution and an atomizer. The battery heats the liquid, and the atomizer creates a vapor that the user inhales. E-cigarettes may look like traditional cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or even pens.
The liquid in e-cigarettes, also known as e-liquid or vape juice, typically contains nicotine, flavorings, and chemical substances like propylene glycol or glycerol. E-cigarette use is referred to as vaping. While some use them to quit smoking, health concerns exist, and research suggests potential risks such as heart issues and lung disease.
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How does an e-cigarette work?
An e-cigarette is a battery-powered device that heats a liquid solution into a vapor, which the user then inhales. The liquid typically contains nicotine, flavoring, and other chemicals like propylene glycol or glycerol. When the device is activated, the battery heats the liquid in the cartridge, and the atomizer vaporizes it, creating a mist. These devices may resemble traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pens. E-cigarettes are also known as e-cigs, e-hookahs, vape pens, vapes, and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).
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What are the main parts of an e-cigarette?
An e-cigarette is a battery-powered device that heats a liquid into an aerosol vapor for inhalation. It typically consists of a battery, an atomizer, and a cartridge containing a liquid solution. The liquid usually contains chemical substances, flavoring, and nicotine. When the device is in operation, the battery heats the liquid in the cartridge, and the atomizer vaporizes the liquid, emitting it as a mist that the user inhales. E-cigarettes may resemble regular cigarettes, cigars, or pens.
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What substances are usually found in e-cigarette liquids?
E-cigarette liquids typically contain a solution of nicotine and various chemicals like propylene glycol or glycerol. These liquids, also known as e-liquids or vape juice, generally include flavoring, nicotine, and water. Vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol are also common, helping to distribute flavor and nicotine and create vapor. When the battery heats the liquid, the atomizer then vaporizes it, creating a mist that the user inhales.
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How is using an e-cigarette different from smoking a traditional cigarette?
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that vaporize a liquid solution for inhalation, whereas traditional cigarettes involve burning tobacco. E-cigarettes don't contain noxious gases like carbon monoxide or tar found in traditional cigarettes.
However, vaping poses its own health risks, including increased risk of heart disease and stroke. E-cigarettes can cause lung damage, and some leak toxic metals. The American Heart Association does not recommend vaping as a safe alternative to smoking.
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What are some health concerns related to e-cigarette use?
E-cigarettes carry significant health risks, despite being marketed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes. Vaping increases the risk of stroke by 71% and heart disease by 40% compared to non-users. E-cigarettes can cause cardiovascular harm, arterial stiffness, and may increase heart attack risk by 42%.
Vaping can lead to severe lung damage, including popcorn lung, lipoid pneumonia, and collapsed lungs. E-cigarettes may leak toxic metals linked to kidney disease and respiratory issues. Heating e-liquids can produce harmful compounds like carcinogenic formaldehyde. Secondhand vape exposure also poses risks due to nicotine, formaldehyde, and metal content.
Furthermore, vaping can disrupt hormonal balance, harm fertility, impair brain development, and increase the likelihood of depression. The American Heart Association does not recommend vaping as a safe smoking cessation method.
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e-cigarette, battery-operated device modeled after regular cigarettes. The e-cigarette was invented in 2003 by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, who initially developed the device to serve as an alternative to conventional smoking. In addition to the battery component, an e-cigarette comprises an atomizer and a cartridge containing either a nicotine or a non-nicotine liquid solution. When the device is operated, the battery heats the liquid in the cartridge, and the atomizer vaporizes the liquid, emitting it as a mist that the user inhales. Hence, e-cigarette use is commonly described as vaping, a term also used in reference to the use of similar devices, including vape pens and e-hookas.
An e-cigarette’s appearance is determined by the shape and size of its components. In some instances, because of its appearance and the vapours it emits, an e-cigarette may be confused with a regular cigarette. Other types of e-cigarettes, however, are similar to a cigar, a smoking pipe, or a ballpoint pen in appearance. E-cigarettes may be designed to be reusable or disposable.
While many people use e-cigarettes as substitutes for other forms of smoking, some use them as a tool to assist in smoking cessation. The safety of e-cigarettes, however, is a major area of concern, since the devices have been subjected to only very limited safety testing, and there is little evidence to suggest that they are safer than regular tobacco products. Preliminary research has suggested that individuals who use e-cigarettes regularly are at increased risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Daily e-cigarette use is associated with changes in oral bacteria composition and oral inflammation, which potentially increase the risk of oral infections such as periodontitis and which may be risk factors for heart disease. It is also suspected that e-cigarette use increases the risk of seizure, particularly in young individuals and in persons who inhale large amounts of nicotine. In addition, scientific evidence indicating that e-cigarettes are effective as smoking-cessation tools is lacking, even though the devices are often marketed as such.
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E-cigarettes also are controversial because of various regulatory issues. For example, in 2008 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that e-cigarettes were unapproved drug-delivery devices, and the following year, invoking its authority to regulate drugs and drug-delivery devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA, FDCA, or FD&C), the organization initiated action against the import of e-cigarettes. In January 2010, following a lawsuit by an e-cigarette distributor, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that e-cigarettes did not meet the criteria for drug-delivery devices and therefore were exempt from regulation under the FFDCA. The court did rule, however, that the FDA could regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA), since the nicotine contained in some of the e-cigarette cartridges was derived from tobacco. Reports in 2018 of increased e-cigarette use among adolescents and teenagers in the United States prompted the FDA to identify strategies for combating e-cigarette use by minors.
In 2019 a dramatic rise in lung disease associated with vaping raised concerns about the safety of e-cigarettes and related devices. Of particular concern was the use of e-cigarettes for vaping THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient of marijuana, and the use of e-cigarettes purchased from street dealers, which had a very high likelihood of containing harmful contaminants. Research published in 2019 further suggested that e-cigarette use is linked to hard-metal pneumoconiosis, a rare lung disease caused by the inhalation of toxic metals.