The Electric Cigarette
by: Shelby Carbary
Intro:
Since around the later portion of the 1950’s people started to realize that the tobacco in cigarettes cause major health problems. As research progressed smoking become less and less popular due to the number of people being diagnosed with lung cancer, emphysema, and other smoking related diseases. Unfortunately the nicotine in the tobacco is extremely addictive and very hard to stop using. In 2003, Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, invented the electronic cigarette as a safer and cleaner way to inhale nicotine, after his father passed due to heavy smoking.
Discovery:
The vapor smoke created by the electronic cigarette when “vaped” is normally created by the addition of propylene glycol (PG) to the e juice contained in the e cig cartridge. Some manufacturers also produce e liquid that has vegetable glycerin in the cartridge instead of PG to lessen allergic reactions experienced by some users of vapor smokes. Most e liquid comes in a variety of nicotine strengths and flavors to include traditional tobacco, menthol, coffee, chocolate, and various fruit flavors. Leaving a controversy of whether or not these appeal to adolescence. There is also an e liquid that contains no nicotine at all. People who have a problem not with being addicted to nicotine, but the motion and constant use of a cigarette will use these e liquids so they still can continue that habit of smoking with out the harmful side effects. Researchers have also found evidence that smoking an e cig reduces cravings among smokers not just for nicotine but also for the need to hold something in there hands and put something in their mouths, making them more appealing than a patch or gum. Electronic cigarettes come in two, three, and four piece designs. For models that are designed in three or more pieces, the e cig atomizer is a separate component of the electronic cigarette and has to be removed for cleaning after use so that it can operate within specifications to vaporize the e liquid contained in the e cig cartridge to create vapor smoke. Some people made the switch because of a recent addition of a certain glue in a cigarette that was extremely harmful. Also an e cig is reusable and you only have to carry around one cigarette instead, and also e cigs are even allowed in restaurants making it extremely convenient for heavy smokers. Despite the belief that electronic cigarettes are one hundred percent better for you, the reality is that there just isn’t enough research yet to really know for sure.
Discoverer:
Hon Lik was basically the first person to introduce the e cig. He had they idea after his father died of a smoking related disease and wanted to change his excessive smoking habits. In 2003, Hon got his first patent on the e cigarette and introduced it to the Chinese market in 2004,through his employer Golden Dragon Holdings. Golden Dragon Holdings later changed the company name to “Ruyan” in order to better match the company’s name (Ruyan means “almost like smoke”) to the new product. Since the renaming, the Ruyan company has continued e cigarette development and has grown to be one of the largest global e cig manufacturers. Dr. Sam Han, CEO of Cixi E-CIG Technology, Inc. Ltd. Is also attributed with a number of e cig related inventions to include four patents in the United States and two in China that are electronic cigarette and e-liquid technology related. Similar to Hon Lik, Dr Han was a heavy smoker for more than 40 years before beginning work on electronic cigarette technologies in order to help himself and others make the shift to vapor smoking. Dr. Han continues to market and conduct R&D in e cig related technologies to this date. After the successful deployment of the Ruyan and Cixi E-CIG electronic cigarettes in China and Asia, the products started to be sold in significant quantities on the Internet. UK businessman, Greg Carson, is attributed with being the first to “westernize” the e cig product relabeled as the “Electro Fag.” The product gained such popularity in the UK and Europe, that British parliament passed legislation legalizing the use of e cigs indoors and in other places that traditional smoking has become banned. Since the gain in popularity in Europe, the electronic cigarette has been introduced to the American market through a variety of distributors to include GreenSmoke, Cigana, ePuffer, and Blu e cig companies with no one individual being credited for bringing the product to the United States.
Impact on Humanity:
For many years people have been affected by smoking related diseases. But for many people its not easy to just up and quit cold turkey. The e cig gives people a way to smoke with out inhaling many of the other harmful substances found in tobacco because the e cigs contain no tobacco, only nicotine. The e cig also offers no added chemicals like glue or tar that are sometimes found in a real cigarette. Many people find the e cig more appealing compared to nicotine patches or nicotine gum because it not only gets rid of the cravings it satisfies the comfort some people get from physically having a cigarette in their mouth or hands. Now people have a safer and cleaner way to get their nicotine fix and have less risk of being diagnosed with a smoking related diseases. The only thing that is wrong with the e cig is that their still isn’t enough research stating anything that could be potentially harmful in the e cig because of how new it is. So really only time can tell if it really makes a dramatic difference.
Journal Article:
Use of Electronic Cigarettes in Smoking Cessation Programs
This article is examining whether or not e cigs are really helpful with smoking cessation. E-cigarettes are non-flammable devices that deliver synthetic or tobacco-derived nicotine; they are similar in size, shape, and usage to a normal cigarette. They are available worldwide through the Internet or in retail outlets. Little independent research has been conducted into their ingredients and health impacts, but they are promoted by vendors and some health harm reduction advocates as a safe alternative to cigarettes, and in some instances, aids for quitting smoking or for cutting down smoking for those who done want to quit. However, manufacturers of e-cigarettes have not submitted the applications for FDA approval of these products for smoking cessation. While e cigarettes help give you the nicotine fix, the vapor released contains polyethylene glycol (PG), which looks like cigarette smoke (also used for fog machines and theatrical smoke) and is also an FDA-approved food additive commonly found in deodorants, moisturizing lotions, toothpastes; pharmaceutical products, including some inhalers; and fat-free dairy products. Because E-cigarettes have not been thoroughly tested, you cannot conclude that they do not produce any harmful products, even if they produce fewer dangerous substances than normal cigarettes. In fact, analysis of two brands of e-cigarettes found detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals (i.e., diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze, small amounts of tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and certain other tobacco-specific impurities that may be harmful). Most research on e-cigarette ingredients, safety, health effects, and use by current smokers has been funded by manufacturers. Independent studies by the FDA and Demokritas, a publicly funded research institute based in Greece, raised questions about the actual ingredients found in commercial e-cigarettes, consistency of nicotine levels, and quality control in their manufacture. Whether the FDA will have regulatory control, and over which aspects, remains to be determined.
Resources:
http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-the-electronic-cigarette.html
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/25/world/fg-china-cigarettes25
http://news.discovery.com/human/e-cigarettes-health-nicotine-tobacco-110127.html
http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/csaph/a10csaph6ft.pdf
Intro:
Since around the later portion of the 1950’s people started to realize that the tobacco in cigarettes cause major health problems. As research progressed smoking become less and less popular due to the number of people being diagnosed with lung cancer, emphysema, and other smoking related diseases. Unfortunately the nicotine in the tobacco is extremely addictive and very hard to stop using. In 2003, Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, invented the electronic cigarette as a safer and cleaner way to inhale nicotine, after his father passed due to heavy smoking.
Discovery:
The vapor smoke created by the electronic cigarette when “vaped” is normally created by the addition of propylene glycol (PG) to the e juice contained in the e cig cartridge. Some manufacturers also produce e liquid that has vegetable glycerin in the cartridge instead of PG to lessen allergic reactions experienced by some users of vapor smokes. Most e liquid comes in a variety of nicotine strengths and flavors to include traditional tobacco, menthol, coffee, chocolate, and various fruit flavors. Leaving a controversy of whether or not these appeal to adolescence. There is also an e liquid that contains no nicotine at all. People who have a problem not with being addicted to nicotine, but the motion and constant use of a cigarette will use these e liquids so they still can continue that habit of smoking with out the harmful side effects. Researchers have also found evidence that smoking an e cig reduces cravings among smokers not just for nicotine but also for the need to hold something in there hands and put something in their mouths, making them more appealing than a patch or gum. Electronic cigarettes come in two, three, and four piece designs. For models that are designed in three or more pieces, the e cig atomizer is a separate component of the electronic cigarette and has to be removed for cleaning after use so that it can operate within specifications to vaporize the e liquid contained in the e cig cartridge to create vapor smoke. Some people made the switch because of a recent addition of a certain glue in a cigarette that was extremely harmful. Also an e cig is reusable and you only have to carry around one cigarette instead, and also e cigs are even allowed in restaurants making it extremely convenient for heavy smokers. Despite the belief that electronic cigarettes are one hundred percent better for you, the reality is that there just isn’t enough research yet to really know for sure.
Discoverer:
Hon Lik was basically the first person to introduce the e cig. He had they idea after his father died of a smoking related disease and wanted to change his excessive smoking habits. In 2003, Hon got his first patent on the e cigarette and introduced it to the Chinese market in 2004,through his employer Golden Dragon Holdings. Golden Dragon Holdings later changed the company name to “Ruyan” in order to better match the company’s name (Ruyan means “almost like smoke”) to the new product. Since the renaming, the Ruyan company has continued e cigarette development and has grown to be one of the largest global e cig manufacturers. Dr. Sam Han, CEO of Cixi E-CIG Technology, Inc. Ltd. Is also attributed with a number of e cig related inventions to include four patents in the United States and two in China that are electronic cigarette and e-liquid technology related. Similar to Hon Lik, Dr Han was a heavy smoker for more than 40 years before beginning work on electronic cigarette technologies in order to help himself and others make the shift to vapor smoking. Dr. Han continues to market and conduct R&D in e cig related technologies to this date. After the successful deployment of the Ruyan and Cixi E-CIG electronic cigarettes in China and Asia, the products started to be sold in significant quantities on the Internet. UK businessman, Greg Carson, is attributed with being the first to “westernize” the e cig product relabeled as the “Electro Fag.” The product gained such popularity in the UK and Europe, that British parliament passed legislation legalizing the use of e cigs indoors and in other places that traditional smoking has become banned. Since the gain in popularity in Europe, the electronic cigarette has been introduced to the American market through a variety of distributors to include GreenSmoke, Cigana, ePuffer, and Blu e cig companies with no one individual being credited for bringing the product to the United States.
Impact on Humanity:
For many years people have been affected by smoking related diseases. But for many people its not easy to just up and quit cold turkey. The e cig gives people a way to smoke with out inhaling many of the other harmful substances found in tobacco because the e cigs contain no tobacco, only nicotine. The e cig also offers no added chemicals like glue or tar that are sometimes found in a real cigarette. Many people find the e cig more appealing compared to nicotine patches or nicotine gum because it not only gets rid of the cravings it satisfies the comfort some people get from physically having a cigarette in their mouth or hands. Now people have a safer and cleaner way to get their nicotine fix and have less risk of being diagnosed with a smoking related diseases. The only thing that is wrong with the e cig is that their still isn’t enough research stating anything that could be potentially harmful in the e cig because of how new it is. So really only time can tell if it really makes a dramatic difference.
Journal Article:
Use of Electronic Cigarettes in Smoking Cessation Programs
This article is examining whether or not e cigs are really helpful with smoking cessation. E-cigarettes are non-flammable devices that deliver synthetic or tobacco-derived nicotine; they are similar in size, shape, and usage to a normal cigarette. They are available worldwide through the Internet or in retail outlets. Little independent research has been conducted into their ingredients and health impacts, but they are promoted by vendors and some health harm reduction advocates as a safe alternative to cigarettes, and in some instances, aids for quitting smoking or for cutting down smoking for those who done want to quit. However, manufacturers of e-cigarettes have not submitted the applications for FDA approval of these products for smoking cessation. While e cigarettes help give you the nicotine fix, the vapor released contains polyethylene glycol (PG), which looks like cigarette smoke (also used for fog machines and theatrical smoke) and is also an FDA-approved food additive commonly found in deodorants, moisturizing lotions, toothpastes; pharmaceutical products, including some inhalers; and fat-free dairy products. Because E-cigarettes have not been thoroughly tested, you cannot conclude that they do not produce any harmful products, even if they produce fewer dangerous substances than normal cigarettes. In fact, analysis of two brands of e-cigarettes found detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals (i.e., diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze, small amounts of tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and certain other tobacco-specific impurities that may be harmful). Most research on e-cigarette ingredients, safety, health effects, and use by current smokers has been funded by manufacturers. Independent studies by the FDA and Demokritas, a publicly funded research institute based in Greece, raised questions about the actual ingredients found in commercial e-cigarettes, consistency of nicotine levels, and quality control in their manufacture. Whether the FDA will have regulatory control, and over which aspects, remains to be determined.
Resources:
http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-the-electronic-cigarette.html
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/25/world/fg-china-cigarettes25
http://news.discovery.com/human/e-cigarettes-health-nicotine-tobacco-110127.html
http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/csaph/a10csaph6ft.pdf
Thanks for the information, I've been looking for information on smoking and using an Electric Cigarette and I stumbled on to this blog. Good stuff, keep it up.
ReplyDeleteI love my E Cig and it has really helped me cut back.
ReplyDelete