New products always raise suspicions and are viewed warily by general consumers and this has definitely been the case with the electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette as it is also known.

The electronic cigarette is sold as an alternative to regular cigarettes. It is intended as a low risk option for smokers wishing to kick their habit. Instead of smoking a normal cigarette which contains tar and other harmful chemicals, the smoker inhales nicotine vapour. However, the long term health effects of these cigarettes and the inhaling of nicotine vapour are currently unknown to medical professionals. Studies are currently on-going, however it is more than likely that it will be a number of years before any concrete results will be published.

What About Non-Smokers?

As the electronic cigarette is a way of smokers to get their nicotine hit without actually inhaling real cigarettes, it would be extremely unadvisable for non smokers to take up ‘smoking’ these cigarettes as they still contain nicotine, which is highly addictive.

What Are Electronic Cigarettes Made Up Of?

There are many different kinds of e-cigarettes available on the market today, but they are generally made up of the same parts, namely a mouth piece, an element for heating, electronic circuits and a battery (usually rechargeable for convenience and cost).

The mouth piece, sometime referred to as a cartridge is disposable and can contain the nicotine which is transferred to the smoker’s mouth. The heating element is also called the atomizer and is responsible for vaporising the liquid in the mouth piece. A lithium-ion rechargeable battery is usually the preferred power source and some can even be recharged via a USB connection to your PC. Perfect if you’re on the move and don’t have your charger handy!

Nicotine solutions to refill the cartridge can be bought and come in different flavors and strengths. These are sometimes called ‘e-liquid’.

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