All your questions answered

Everything you ever wanted to know about electronic cigarettes. Sit down, relax and read on!

So just what is an electronic cigarette?

An electronic cigarette, also known as an e-cigarette or personal vaporizer, is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by way of a vaporized solution. It is an alternative to smoked tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.

Who should use an electronic cigarette?

Persons over the age of 18 who currently smoke cigarettes and are looking for an alternative to tobacco may wish to use electronic cigarette.

Are electronic cigarettes safe?

While early studies have shown electronic cigarettes to be a better alternative to cigarettes there is still much research to be done. We talk a little more about this: Here

What's in the liquid used to deliver nicotine?

Nicotine solutions sold separately for use in refillable cartridges are sometimes referred to as "e-liquid" or "e-juice", and commonly contain some amount of flavoring, with several different flavors available. They consist of nicotine dissolved in propylene glycol (PG) and/or glycerin (glycerol). Both PG and glycerin are common food additives.

Solutions are also available in differing nicotine concentrations, to let the user decide the amount of nicotine to be taken in. Concentrations range from Zero Nicotine, low and midrange doses (6–8 mg/ml and 10–14 mg/ml respectively), to high and extra-high doses (16–18 mg/ml and 20–54 mg/ml respectively). The concentration ratings are often printed on the e-liquid bottle or cartridge, although the standard notation "mg/ml" often gets abbreviated to just "mg". Solutions are also available that contain no nicotine at all.

Some flavor varieties attempt to resemble traditional cigarette types, such as regular tobacco and menthol, and some even attempt to mimic specific cigarette brands, such as Marlboro or Camel. Fruit and other flavors are also available, such as vanilla, caramel, and coffee.

Battery and electronics

While electronic cigarettes take many forms, they each generally employ the same basic components: a mouthpiece, a heating element, a rechargeable battery, and various electronic circuits.

What on earth is an atomizer?

The heating element serves to vaporize the liquid in the mouthpiece so that it can be inhaled. This component is referred to in the industry as an "atomizer". Atomizers have a finite life of about one month (on average) and are one of the recurring expenses associated with electronic cigarettes. Some models combine an atomizer and pre-filled cartridge into one disposable component referred to as a "cartomizer".

What about this cartridge thing?

The cartridge or mouthpiece is a small disposable plastic cup-like piece affixed to the end of the tube. Inside the mouthpiece is a smaller plastic cup which holds an absorbent material that is saturated with a flavored liquid solution that may contain nicotine. This inner cup is made such that air is able to flow around it and through a hole in the end of the outer piece; this is necessary for the device to provide the ability for suction to move the vapor into the user's mouth. The mouthpiece is referred to in the industry as a "cartridge". When the liquid in the cartridge has been depleted, it can either be refilled by the user or replaced with another pre-filled cartridge.

Another alternative to using cartridges is the direct dripping method using drip tips. By removing the absorbent material, one is able to simply remove the plastic mouthpiece and drip several drops of e-liquid directly onto the atomizer bridge. To further ease dripping, some manufacturers have created specialty mouthpieces made of stainless steel or plastic that are intended just for dripping and do not require removal each time you drip.

How exactly is it used?

In automatic models, when a user inhales through the device, air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes a nicotine solution stored in the mouthpiece. On manual models, the user must depress a button to activate the heating element to produce vapor which is then inhaled by the user. On most models an LED on the opposite end of the device is also activated during inhalation, which serves as an indicator of use. The LED color is usually a matter of preference, as the most widely used electronic cigarettes come with options for many different ones.

What about the FDA

Ah yes our good buddies at the FDA. (Can you sense the sarcasm)

In May 2009, the US FDA's Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis tested the contents of 19 varieties of electronic cigarette cartridges produced by two vendors (NJoy and Smoking Everywhere). Diethylene glycol was detected in one of the cartridges manufactured by Smoking Everywhere. In addition, tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) were detected in all of the cartridges from one brand and two of the cartridges from the other brand. The study found that the actual nicotine levels did not always correspond to the amount of nicotine the cartridges purported to contain The analysis found traces of nicotine in some cartridges that claimed to be nicotine-free. Further concerns were raised over inconsistent amounts of nicotine delivered when drawing on the device.In July 2009, the FDA issued a press release discouraging the use of electronic cigarettes and repeating previously stated concerns that electronic cigarettes may be marketed to young people and lack appropriate health warnings.

In response to the FDA study, the Electronic Cigarette Association said that the testing was too "narrow to reach any valid and reliable conclusions.” The FDA's study was reviewed in July 2009 by scientific consulting firm Exponent, Inc., in a report commissioned by the manufacturer of one of the electronic cigarettes tested by the FDA. Some of the criticisms in Exponent's report are poor standards of documentation and analysis. Exponent lists previous studies that have detected TSNA levels in FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy products comparable to those the FDA detected in their study, and objects to the FDA making no comparisons to such products in their analysis of electronic cigarettes. Ultimately the review concludes that the FDA's study did not support the claims of potential adverse health effects from the use of electronic cigarettes.

Health New Zealand Ltd. study

In 2008, Dr. Murray Laugesen, of Health New Zealand, published a report on the safety of Ruyan electronic cigarette cartridges. Ruyan funded the research, but both Dr. Laugesen and the WHO claim that the research is independent. The presence of trace amounts of TSNAs in electronic cigarette vapor was documented in the analysis. The results also indicated that the level of nicotine in the electronic cigarette cartridges was not different from the concentration of nicotine found in nicotine patches. John Britton, a lung specialist at the University of Nottingham, UK and chair of the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Advisory Group said “if the levels are as low as in nicotine replacement therapy, I don’t think there will be much of a problem.” The study conducted detailed quantitative analysis and concluded that carcinogens and toxicants are present only below harmful levels. The final conclusion of the safety report is: "Based on the manufacturer’s information, the composition of the cartridge liquid is not hazardous to health, if used as intended."

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