Health Concerns With the Electronic Cigarette

The electronic cigarette is a substitute for a normal cigarette, used by people who want to give up smoking without resorting to patches or going “cold turkey.” It creates a mixture of water vapor and nicotine; the amount can be reduced over time. Although marketed as a device to help stop smoking, electronic cigarettes are not required to pass the same safety checks as other devices to help people quit smoking.

Quality Control

• The first and longest-running health concern with the electronic cigarette is the method behind its production in China. According to a 2008 interview with Action on Smoking and Health's director, Deborah Arnott, the Chinese factory where the cigarette is manufactured has a low standard of quality control. This could result in faulty products causing an increased risk of harmful chemicals in the vapor the cigarettes produce.

Chemical Content

• Tests conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that vapor from electronic cigarettes contained diethylene glycol, a poisonous solvent used in antifreeze, amongst other things. This goes against the claims made by Jason Cropper, Electronic Cigarette Company managing director, that the cigarettes did not contain “harmful toxins” when tested by his company.

Addiction

• Electronic cigarettes create vapor from nicotine capsules, producing nicotine vapor that the user then inhales. Nicotene raises blood pressure and cause vasoconstriction, causing the body's blood vessels to contract. This puts extra pressure on the heart and can cause heart problems in electronic cigarette users. Users of regular cigarettes carry the same risks.