Smoke Safre

Showing posts with label nicotine addiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nicotine addiction. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Electronic Cigarettes - A Healthier Alternative To Smoking

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There is a brand new invention that everyone who smokes should know about. It's called the electronic cigarette, also known as a smokeless cigarette or e-cigarette, and it is changing the legal landscape for cigarette smokers around the world.
The patented Electronic Cigarette offers to effectively simulate the experience of smoking an actual cigarette, without any of the health or legal issues surrounding traditional cigarettes.
While Electronic cigarettes look, feel and taste much like traditional cigarettes, they function very differently. You see, electronic cigarettes do not actually burn any tobacco, but rather, when you inhale from an e-cigarette, you activate a "flow censor" which releases a water vapor containing nicotine, propylene glycol, and a scent that simulates the flavor of tobacco. All of which simply means that electronic cigarettes allow you to get your nicotine fix while avoiding all of the cancer causing agents found in traditional cigarettes such as tar, glue, hundreds of additives, and hydrocarbons.
In addition to being healthier than traditional cigarettes, and perhaps most importantly of all, is the fact that electronic cigarettes are completely legal. Because Electronic cigarettes do not involve tobacco, you can legally smoke them anywhere that traditional cigarettes are prohibited such as bars, restaurants, the work place, even on airplanes. Furthermore, electronic cigarettes allow you to smoke with no fears of inflicting harm on others due to nasty second hand smoke.
The refillable cartridges come in a multitude of flavors as well as nicotine strengths. You can get regular, menthol, even apple and strawberry flavored cartridges and nicotine strengths come in full, medium, light, and none. While electronic cigarettes are technically a "smoking alternative" rather than a smoking cessation device, the range of nicotine strengths offers some obvious potential as an aid in the ones attempts to quit smoking and seems to be proving popular within that market.
The nice thing about electronic cigarettes as apposed to say, nicotine patches, is that e-cigarettes produce the same tactile sensation and oral fixation that smokers desire, while satisfying ones tobacco cravings as well. When you take a drag from n electronic cigarette you actually feel the your lungs fill with a warm tobacco flavored smoke and when you exhale the smoke billows out of your lungs just like regular smoking, however, as mentioned, that smoke is actually a much healthier water vapor that quickly evaporates and therefore does not offend anyone in the immediate vicinity.
While electronic cigarettes have been around for a while in various incarnations, it has been recent advances in the technology as well as ever increasing restrictions against smoking that have propelled the e-cigarette into a new found popularity. If you are interested in a healthier alternative to smoking, or if you simply want to have the freedom to smoke wherever and whenever you want, an electronic cigarette might be the solution you've been looking for.
Watch a video of an Electronic Cigarette in action at http://NjoyCigarettes.com
Ready for a smoke free life? Learn more about Smokeless Cigarettes.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1190060

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Is Puffing Electronic Cigarettes Safe in Adult-Only Places a Happy Medium?

Thad Mamey fondly remembers the early days of electronic cigarettes: The puzzled stares. Lighting up indoors. The utter lack of smoke. The difference between his puff of vapor and other smokers plumes.

He's smoked tobacco cigarettes for 15 years but the mechanical nicotine stick is a far less harmful alternative, making it his favorite choice.

As it turns out, Pierce County might not see the same distinction between cigarettes that smoke and those that fog.

Like many other municipalities across the country, the Pierce County Health Department is taking action on electronic cigarettes but adopting a fair, enforceable regulation in cities like Bonney Lake and Sumner is as foggy as the vapor smoke released.

Kirsten Frandsen, Health Department prevention specialist, said that while they intend to not regulate individual choices, increased smoking has gone down and electronic cigarettes look like and will increase social acceptability and safety.

Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices. Users inhale a specific dosage of nicotine or non-nicotine vapor. Smoking an e-cig is known as vaping.The sensation is similar to a tobacco cigarette because it delivers nicotine to the user, minus cancer-causing ingredients related to cigarette smoke.

But it does not produce smoke.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to regulate it. Questions remain about its health effects and the effects of the second hand vapor which smell like dry ice from a Halloween haunted house.

The Pierce County Board of Health faces the same problem but nevertheless is expected to adopt a new electronic cigarette regulation on June 1, shielding their decision-making course on Wednesday.

In its current form, regulations would limit electronic cigarettes to adult-only places like bars. The e-cigs would be banned from restaurants and other areas where the age range varies.

The King County Health Department on Jan. 15 decided to regulate e-cigs in the same way as tobacco. Spokane County officials adopted a resolution urging its local jurisdictions to adopt e-cigarette regulations.

While the use of e-cigarettes is less damaging to the body — and because it was invented in China in 2003 — there has not been enough proof that shows the long-term side effects of vaping.

Despite comments in a recent meeting on Monday by mostly anti-cigarette smokers critics may have to deal with vaping in bars or other locales where minors are not allowed. Board members reached the consensus there is not enough proven data to regulate electronic cigarettes the same as tobacco products.

"The position or point is we don't have enough proof one way or the other," said Board of Health member Rick Talbert. "We need language that would ban it from minors and not address the (other) issues until more evidence comes through.”

The TPC Health Department and a panel of experts that included Frandsen recommended an identical prohibition of e-cigarettes to the 2005 ban of tobacco products at Monday's meeting. It outraged more than 25 users on Monday including Mark Coy who said regulations should be based on facts.

"Facts should be the binding arbitration," Coy said.

Conversely, a handful of critics during the Board of Health's agenda meeting believed the novelty movement have special appeal to kids.

"I have no idea if they (e-cigs) are safe for me or my children to inhale in public," said Steilacoom resident Jerome Wahl. "I advocate for my children."

The FDA has not issued any formal guidance on electronic cigarettes according to the Electronic Cigarette Association.

"It would be much easier if the FDA was doing its job by saying yes it's great or no it's not," said board member Pat Johnson.

Pierce County Councilman and board member Dick Muri said it's a more preferable fad than smoking tobacco products but there is no quality control coming from the FDA.

"I'd be tickled pink to see people vaping than smoking," Muri said. "But I want to see it prohibited from children."

Mamey said people should have the ability to have a smoke-free opportunity, adding th proposed regulation is demonizing nicotine.

"There's not reason to include it in the smoke ban," he said.
What are your thoughts on allowing e-cigarettes in adult establishments only? Should they even be allowed in those areas? Tell us in the comments.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Electronic Cigarette - The Next Quit Smoking Device

Ever since the public became aware about the dangers of smoking a few decades ago, many people have found quitting the tobacco habit hard. Companies have been innovating and manufacturing smoking cessation products for many years now. From nicotine patches to gum, nicotine addicts have been using them to quit their habit.
Electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes and electric cigarettes)are the newest product on the market. They are designed to look and feel like real cigarettes, even down to emitting artificial smoke however they do not actually contain any tobacco. Users inhale nicotine vapour which looks like smoke without any of the carcinogens found in tobacco smoke which are harmful to the smoker and others around him.
The Electronic cigarette consists of a nicotine cartridge containing liquid nicotine. When a user inhales, a tiny battery powered atomizer turns a small amount of liquid nicotine into vapour. Inhaling nicotine vapour gives the user a nicotine hit in seconds rather than minutes with patches or gum. When the user inhales, a small LED light at the tip of the electronic cigarette glows orange to simulate a real cigarette.
The nicotine cartridges themselves come in various strengths. Most of the major brands, such as the Gamucci electronic cigarette have full strength, half strength and minimal strength. This is designed for people who want to quit smoking. As they get used to using the electronic cigarette, they can gradually reduce the strength they use until they quit.
The main advantages electronic cigarettes have over nicotine patches or gum is firstly, users have the nicotine hit much quicker and secondly, because a big reason why smokers fail to quit suing patches and gum is because they still miss the act of inhaling smoke from a cylindrical object. The electronic cigarette emulates that even down to the smoke.
The electronic cigarette is also beneficial from a financial perspective. A set of five nicotine cartridges costs around £8 and is equivalent to 500 cigarettes. Although the initial investment of an electronic cigarette kit of £50 may seem steep at first, users save money in the long run.
As with many popular products, there have been a great number of cheap Chinese imitations flooding the market. They are usually half the price of a branded electronic cigarette and look like the real thing as well. It is inadvisable to use these because they have not been subject to the same rigorous testing the official electronic cigarettes have and can potentially be highly damaging to the user's health.
As electronic cigarettes become more and more popular, they are increasingly used to smoke in pubs and clubs with a smoking ban. Electronic cigarettes seem to be the next thing and may soon replace real cigarettes in clubs.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1695704

Realy Proof lacking on e-cigarettes' safety, experts warn

There is a worrying lack of safety data on electronic cigarettes, despite their growing popularity with the public, two leading Greek researchers have warned.
In the British Medical Journal, they say that without more evidence it is impossible to know if such products actually do more harm than good.
Some studies have raised safety fears, but retailers argue e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to the real thing.
Users can inhale nicotine without tar, tobacco or carbon monoxide.
The Department of Health suggested consumers "exercise caution".
A Department of Health spokeswoman said it had been working with regulators to test the products and that none of those tested so far complied with product safety regulations. She said the government was working to ensure e-cigarettes were labelled and sold appropriately.
"The Department of Health is not aware of any evidence about the long-term safety of e-cigarettes and, as such, would suggest that consumers exercise caution.
"E-cigarettes are not promoted by, or available on, the NHS," she said.
Deborah Arnott, of the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said: "We do need better data on safety and appropriate regulation for e-cigarettes, although these products are certain to be significantly less hazardous than cigarettes, which lead to premature death in half all long-term users."
She said there was demand for the products from smokers - UK estimates suggest around one in ten has already tried them.
Some studies have raised safety fears, but retailers argue e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to the real thing.
Users can inhale nicotine without tar, tobacco or carbon monoxide.
The Department of Health suggested consumers "exercise caution".
The Department of Health is not aware of any evidence about the long-term safety of e-cigarettes and, as such, would suggest that consumers exercise caution
Government spokeswoman
The report authors said consumers should stop using the devices until ongoing safety studies reported back within the next year.
The World Health Organisation is among those to raise concerns about the safety of these new types of cigarette substitute, which deliver a nicotine hit in a fine vapour.
And in the past year, US regulators have detained and blocked numerous shipments of e-cigarettes at borders because the devices are not approved.
In the UK, it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes as a "quit smoking" aid, although this is something that is being reviewed.
They are widely available to buy as a "cigarette alternative" over the internet and are sold in a number of places, including some bars and clubs.
Andreas Flouris and Dimitris Oikonomou, from the Institute of Human Performance and Rehabilitation in Greece, say there have been three main reports on e-cigarette safety - one by US regulators, one by a publicly-funded Greek research institute, and another by a private company in New Zealand.
Scant data
The US Food and Drug Administration report expressed concern after finding different brands of the battery operated device delivered markedly different amounts of nicotine vapour with each puff.
The FDA also detected traces of powerful cancer-causing chemicals.
The Greek institute Demokritos took a neutral stance on the products and did not find any evidence of chemical contamination.
Private enterprise Health New Zealand did find cancer-causing chemicals in products, but concluded that overall e-cigarettes should be recommended on the basis of the health risks associated with smoking normal cigarettes.
The researchers told the BMJ: "The scarce evidence indicates the existence of various toxic and carcinogenic compounds in e-cigarettes, albeit in possibly much smaller concentrations than in traditional cigarettes."
Smokers' views on e-cigarettes
Callum Reckless, director at Smart Smoker, a company that sells e-cigarettes, said: "I believe that electronic cigarettes are indeed a safer alternative to smoking real cigarettes."
He welcomed more research into the safety of the products.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Are Electronic-Cigarettes, safe E-Cigs ?

Electronic cigarettes are handheld nicotine-delivery devices that, despite a devoted following, are currently swirling in controversy.
New York is pushing to become the first state to ban the devices, which so far remain unregulated and mostly unstudied. With cutesy colors, fruity flavors, clever designs and other options, e-cigarettes may hold too much appeal for young people, critics warn, offering an easy gateway to nicotine addiction.
But those criticisms clash with equally strong arguments for the value of e-cigarettes. The devices, which are tobacco-free, may be a safer alternative to cigarettes, say advocates, who point to testimonials from thousands of smokers who say they have used e-cigarettes to help them quit.
As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration struggles to gain regulatory control, and as safety studies remain works in progress, the debate continues.
"There really are a lot of unknowns with respect to health," said Prue Talbot, a toxicologist at the University California, Riverside. "I don't know of any studies in the literature which are peer-reviewed. Almost all of the studies have been paid for by the e-cigarette companies.
"E-cigarettes are often sold as safe, which is probably not true," Talbot added. "They may not be as dangerous as real cigarettes, but on the other hand, they could be. We just don't know."
Electronic cigarettes typically use a rechargeable battery-operated heating element to vaporize the nicotine in a replaceable cartridge. Nicotine is usually dissolved in propylene glycol, a clear and colorless liquid that is commonly found in inhalers, cough medicines and other products.
Some e-cigarettes are made to look like real cigarettes, cigars or pipes. Others look like pens or USB memory devices. There is no tobacco involved, and no smoke either. Instead, users do what's called "vaping." As they inhale, they take in nicotine-filled vapor.
By isolating nicotine, e-cigarettes should carry far fewer chemical risks than regular cigarettes, said Michael Siegel, a tobacco researcher at Boston University. Tobacco contains about 5,000 known chemicals, he said, with as many as 100,000 more that haven't yet been identified. E-cigarettes eliminate many of those ingredients.
Siegel and a colleague reviewed 16 studies that analyzed the contents of electronic cigarettes. In a paper just published in the Journal of Public Health Policy, they reported that levels of certain harmful chemicals were on par with levels found in nicotine patches and hundreds of times lower than what's found in cigarettes.
The researchers also found evidence that vaping reduces cravings among smokers, not just for nicotine but also for the need to hold something in their hands and put something in their mouths -- making the devices more appealing to them than patches or gum.
As a cigarette-quitting strategy, Siegel compared e-cigarettes to heroin needle exchange programs. It's not that the devices are good for anyone, he said. They are just better than what they're meant to replace.
"The relevant question is not, 'Are these things safe?'" he said. "But are these things much safer than real cigarettes, and do they help people quit smoking? The answer to both of those questions we know is yes."
"What New York is doing is equivalent to outlawing lifeboats on a sinking ship because they haven't been FDA approved," he added. "It's a really crazy approach to public health."
For other experts, the list of unknowns is still too large for them to consider e-cigarettes worth recommending. Some users, Talbot said, have reported problems with their lungs and throats that have forced them to stop using the devices.
And even though industry-funded studies have deemed the devices to be safe, an FDA report found levels of carcinogens and toxic contaminants that they determined to be were worthy of concern. Without regulation, Talobt added, cartridges may contain undisclosed chemicals that could end up being more toxic than tobacco smoke.
Quality control is also lacking. In a recent study, Talbot evaluated six brands of e-cigarettes acquired over the Internet. None of the devices were labeled clearly with nicotine levels, expiration dates or other information, she reported in December in the journal Tobacco Control.
Most cartridges leaked onto her hands, the study found, and all were defective in some way. Talbot also found unsubstantiated health claims on many of the company websites and print materials. One says they put vitamins in their e-cigarettes.
Other experts worry about the appeal of e-cigarettes to children. The devices are easy to buy online or in mall kiosks. They come in flavors ranging from chocolate to bubble gum. You can buy them in pink, gold or blue.
"Once a youth has decided to try an e-cigarette, there is nothing that protects him from getting addicted to nicotine by puffing this product," wrote Jonathan Winickoff, a pediatrician at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children, in a letter to the FDA. "Nicotine itself is not safe for children. Nicotine addiction is one of the hardest addictions to break."
New York's move is a reaction to what can't yet happen on the national level. According to a series of recent court decisions, e-cigarettes cannot qualify as drug delivery products, said Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the FDA. As a result, the agency cannot ban them or require more arduous testing.
But even though they are now considered tobacco products, they are not mentioned in the Tobacco Control Act, either. For now, then, they remain unapproved and unregulated.
And anyone is free to buy them.