If looks can kill, then the thousands of smoke-belching humans out there would have been dead by now. And if you can no longer bear the taunts and the insults threw by non-smokers, then the electronic cigarettes might be a better solution.
Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, look and work just like real cigarettes, like Marlboro, Winston except that they do not emit the same odor and smoke produced by real smoking products.
“But we still discourage smokers, in this case vapers (since e-cigarettes emit vapors and not smoke) from smoking in non-smoking areas as they will still be apprehended,” Davao City Anti-Smoking Task Force Dr. Domilyn Villareiz said.
She warns that vapers “not to try us by smoking in non-smoking areas because they are still included in the prohibition.”
The eight-year old anti-smoking ordinance of Davao City may have discouraged some smokers from puffing their cigarettes in public places with the implementation of the ordinance, but this is set to change with the popularity of the e-cigarettes in the world market.
“This is plainly a circumvention of the Anti-Smoking law because it still promotes the habit of smoking — with the same arm and hand movement and the use of nicotine,” she declared
In general the e-cigarette is a battery-operated device with a cartridge that contains a nicotine solution and other chemicals that is then converted into vapour when the cigarette is used. Some e-cigarettes even come in different flavors to satisfy the craving of the regular smoker.
“We call these e-cigarettes guinea pigs because there is no clinical study that concludes it is safer to use than the ordinary cigarette,” Villareiz said.
She added the regular cigarette contains more than 600 additives, aside from nicotine leaves, but, the moment it is inhaled, the cigarette can release up to 4,000 chemicals.
Villareiz said if the e-cigarettes still contain nicotine, then they can still affect the cardiovascular system and can constrict the blood vessels once the nicotine is inhaled.
“Until there is medical evidence that these e-cigarettes are totally safe, then, we do not recommend it,” she added.
The e-cigarette comes also with a nicotine solution, often called e-juice or e-liquid, which consist of glycerine and propylene glycol which are known food additives. The solutions are offered in different concentrations of nicotine, thus allowing the vaper to regulate his nicotine intake and gradually reduce it. There are also solutions that do not come with nicotine, but with flavors like regular or menthol tobacco, coffee, caramel, vanilla or fruits.
Research shows that e-cigarette solutions can contain the following ingredients: nicotine, gkycerol, propylene glycol, tobacco essence, organic acid, butyl valerate, benzyl benzoate, hexyl hexanoate, and anti-oxidation agent among others.
The e-cigarette is becoming a very famous commodity among those looking for an alternative to the real cigarettes but without the foul smoke odor it emits. Manufacturers of e-cigarettes even market it as a smart choice for those who want even to quit smoking.
