Thursday, July 19, 2012

The E-Cigarette Firestorm

E-cigarettes are rapidly popping up for sale on the Internet and in mall kiosks across the United States. Despite rising sales and growing interest, the Food and Drug Administration is not rushing to approve the product. While health professionals criticize the safety of electronic cigarettes, marketers promote several benefits over their tobacco counterparts.

Electronic cigarettes do not produce smoke, just vapors via their replacement cartomizers. Because of this, makers suggest these products can be used in smoke-free zones, unlike tobacco cigarettes, such as airport lounges, workplaces and restaurants. Electronic cigarettes do not contain tobacco and are available with or without nicotine. This feature leads us to the second claim in which manufacturers suggest that their product can reduce the harmful effects of smoking for those who can’t kick the nicotine addition.

Lastly, makers claim that transitioning to e-cigarettes can help smokers give up the habit altogether. However, the World Health Organization has asked marketers to stop stating this as a benefit because there is no evidence to qualify electronic cigarettes as smoking cessation products.

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