The days of people smoking indoors are well behind us and it can be argued that smoking cigarettes, in general, is in decline. This is of course mainly down to the 2006 smoking ban and the restrictions cigarettes now have in place on everything from packaging to advertising. However, this is also partly down to the rise in the preference of smokers for e-cigarettes.
But what exactly are e-cigarettes, how do they work and what makes them so different from cigarettes and cigars? Here we take a closer look at this to answer these queries.
A Battery Powered Device
The actual devices themselves can vary in shape and size but typically will have a chamber with a mouthpiece of some kind.
Inside the chamber is a small lithium battery and a vessel/cartridge containing a nicotine liquid, and when the user inhales, the battery powers a device called an ‘atomiser’ which heats the liquid to vaporise it and draws it through the device into the user’s mouth. This liquid can come in different flavours and strengths.
Then the user will then breathe out the vapour which looks similar to the cloud of smoke you see from a cigarette. Some e-cigs also have LED lights that show when they are in use or switched on.
The batteries can also be charged in a similar way to a smartphone or other similar handheld device.
Are These Safer?
You might have seen e-cigarettes being advertised as being a healthier alternative to smoking normal cigarettes and cigars, and this belief stems mainly from the fact that they do not physically burn or contain as many harmful aspects to them.
That being said, the NHS still claims these are not ‘totally risk-free’ and the liquid and vapour used can ‘contain some potentially harmful chemicals’. There are still studies being carried out on vaping that may prove more conclusive over time.
If you opt to vape though, it can be a good idea to choose established and specialist retailers like VIP as these official products will be of a better quality and often have more choice available.
What Does the Future Hold?
As aforementioned, more studies are being carried out to determine how much safer e-cigarettes are and this is something that may well impact on their development and usage. From a technological standpoint though, we may also see these devices becoming more and more sophisticated as they become more popular.
The reality remains to be seen though and it might be that soon vaping has the same restrictions and regulations as traditional smoking.
