They look just like a real cigarette! They glow at the end, they contain nicotine and you can smoke them in public areas. It seems the perfect alternative to normal cigarettes, but as the saying goes: If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
The numbers of people who use E-cigs has grown to millions and the number of users has skyrocketed amongst teenagers. However, scientists warn that the flavored electronic cigarettes, have not been studied for a sufficient number of years to deem them as safe.
Furthermore, researchers and physicians advise people to proceed with caution regarding electronic cigarettes and if it is possible to avoid them altogether. There have been many reported cases of people suffering from dry cough, throat irritations and shortness of breath after vaping. This goes to show that the nicotine and vapors inhaled through this device, is not entirely healthy.
Those who are against e-cigarettes say that the long term effects of the volatile gas in the liquid that is being poured into E-cigs can also have damaging effects on the lungs and that vaping is more of a gateway drug for people trying to quit smoking.
Those in favor of E-cigs seem to be people, who regard vaping as a more conscientious form of smoking, which does not affect the people around. They also say that this device will lead to less deaths caused by tobacco. However, recent studies have shown that most people who quit smoking by using E-cigarettes tend to use the E-cigarette continuously, thus sustaining their nicotine addiction.
The FDA has not implemented complete and standard regulations for the use of e-cigs yet, so until that happens, if you want to stop smoking, you should stick to one of the FDA approved methods.
Parents also need to keep their eyes open to see if their child has started vaping, so as to put a stop to this behavior. Nicotine has severe effects on the brain development of a teenager and because of the sweet scent, of the liquid found in this type of device, E-cigs are more appealing to teens than regular cigarettes.
Because they don`t smell like regular tobacco users, parents may have a difficult time realizing that their teenager is vaping and while some big US cities like NY, LA or Boston have passes laws regarding who can purchase an E-cigarette, in many states the selling is still lacking proper control.
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