E-Cigarettes Post -1

What are E-cigarettes and how do they work?

Either you have used one of the products below or seen someone using it. If not, then you need to be more observant in the society. These are called electronic cigarettes, aka E-cigarettes (EC).

In this post, we will get to know (followed by a bunch of posts)

1. What is EC?

2. How does it work?

E-cigarettes are comprised of three basic things:

1. Reservoir containing E-liquid: It is a solution that can quickly vaporize. The majority of this solution consists of propylene glycol and glycerol. Most of the time, it contains nicotine (the substance found in conventional cigarettes and responsible for addiction) and other additives such as flavors. Some contain THC (Tetra Hydro Cannabinoid), an active ingredient in cannabis.

2. Coil: A metal coil similar to a heater that uses electricity to heat up to form e-liquid vapors.

3. Battery: That provides electricity to the coil.

Vape: Vape is the shortened form of “vapors”. It was first used in the 1980s by Phil Ray, a computer engineer who worked with physician Norman Jacobson to create a nicotine-inhaling device.

Vaping: The act of inhaling vapors from e-cigarettes is known as vaping.

Act of Vaping

Whenever someone sucks from the pipe of the e-cigarette, it is activated by airflow, the air is heated and passed on to the liquid thus forming vapours. ¹

Evolution of E-cigarettes

E-cigarettes (EC) were started in China in 2003 and then introduced to the Western market in 2006. The picture below highlights different generations of EC²

In the next post, we will get to know more about the

1. Current Market Size

2. Short-term to long-term side effects

References

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9668543/pdf/CD010216.pdf

2. https://www.bjaed.org/article/S2058-5349%2821%2900016-0/fulltext