By now, you’ve probably seen them being smoked on the subway or in a bar those shiny, futuristic, battery operated nicotine inhalers better know as electronic cigarettes that are apparently all the rage these days. Big Tobacco companies have taken notice, too, and are determined to cash in on the industry, which is expected to bring in $1.7 billion in U.S. sales this year alone, according to The New York Times.

While much is still unknown about the health risks of e cigarettes, here s what we do know E cigarettes are addicting. And while they may not be as harmful as tobacco cigarettes, critics like the British Medical Association and the World Health Organisation are wary of the trend and warn of the dangers that may be associated with the smoking devices.

Here’s what we do know about e cigarettes

1. E cigarettes contain toxic chemicals.

A 2009 FDA analysis of e cigarettes from two leading brands found that the samples contained carcinogens and other hazardous chemicals, including diethylene glycol, which is found in antifreeze. Last year, a report from Greek researchers found that using e cigarettes increased breathing difficulty in both smokers and non smokers, according to Medical News Today. A more recent study funded by a smoking cessation advocacy group concluded that

“There is no evidence that vaping produces inhalable exposures to contaminants of the aerosol that would warrant health concerns by the standards that are used to ensure safety of workplaces. However, the aerosol generated during vaping as a whole (contaminants plus declared ingredients), if it were an emission from industrial process, creates personal exposures that would justify surveillance of health among exposed persons.”

2. Kids and teens can buy them.

Unlike other tobacco products, e cigarettes can be sold to minors in many places throughout the country. The smoking devices can also be bought legally online, according to the Wall Street Journal.

3. While cigarette companies say they don’t market to kids, e cigarettes come in flavors like cherry, strawberry, vanilla and cookies and cream milkshake.

4. Laws regulating cigarette ads don’t yet apply to e cigarettes.

TV commercials for cigarettes may be banned, but ones for e cigarettes sure aren’t, Adage points out. (The above ad for Blu eCigs features Jenny McCarthy.)

5. And e cigarette companies are spending a TON on advertising.

Industry advertising spending increased to $20.8 million in 2012 from just $2.7 million in 2010, according to The New York Times.

6. E cigarettes can be used in many places where smoking is banned.

Even though some studies suggest that secondhand vapor poses health risks, many lawmakers have yet to determine whether smoking rules apply to e cigarettes, according to USA Today.

7. People think e cigarettes can help them quit smoking.

Research published in the American Journal of Public Health indicates that 53 percent of young adults in the U.S. who have heard of e cigarettes believe they are healthier than traditional cigarettes and 45 percent believe they could help them quit smoking though there is little evidence to support either of these claims.

8. E cigarettes aren’t taxed like traditional tobacco products.

Even though cigarette consumption fell significantly as taxes went up.

9. Despite unknown health consequences, e cigarettes are poised to make inroads with a new generation of young people.

Half of young adults say they would try e cigarettes if a friend offered them one, according a study cited by USA Today.

This post has been updated with additional information from recent studies on the subject.

Also on HuffPost

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  • 1. Smoking related health conditions are a leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for nearly one of every five deaths annually. Source The Centers For Disease Control

  • 2. Every year, tobacco use kills more Americans than HIV, drug and alcohol abuse, suicides, murders and car accidents combined. Source The Centers For Disease Control

  • 3. Secondhand smoke accounts for approximately 50,000 deaths in the United States every year. Source The American Lung Association

  • 4. Cigarette smoke emits nearly 8 billion kilograms of greenhouse gases annually. Source

  • 5. Tobacco farming also contributes to deforestation, destroying more than 500,000 acres of forest a year. Source

  • 6. If tobacco farmers around the globe were to grow food instead, they could feed more than 70 percent of the world’s 28 million malnourished people. Source

  • 7. In 2012, cigarette companies spent nearly $27 million lobbying government agencies and members of Congress. Source

  • 8. Big Tobacco companies market covertly to teens, despite publicly stating that youth should not smoke. Source U.S. News & World Report

  • 9. Each year, the industry spends more than $400 per customer on special promotions, coupons, mailers and other direct marketing efforts to make sure current smokers don’t kick their addictions. Source Stanford University

  • 10. Now, companies are pushing expensive and unregulated e cigarettes. A “starter kit” which includes an e cigarette device, batteries, nicotine cartridges and other accessories can cost upwards of $100. Source

  • 11. What’s more, e cigarettes are offered in a variety of flavors that young children and teens could find especially appealing, like cherry, grape, vanilla and strawberry. Source Fox 5 News

  • 12. The health effects of e cigarettes are still unknown. Medical associations and regulatory bodies are concerned that e cigarettes are nothing more than a “gateway” to a nicotine addiction. Source The Huffington Post

E-cigarettes to be regulated as medicines – health news – nhs choices

Ever smoke reviews

Wednesday June 12 2013

More and more people are using e cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes are to be licensed and regulated as an aid to quit smoking from 2016, it has been announced.

E cigarettes battery operated devices that mimic cigarettes are to be classed as ‘medicines’, which means they will face stringent checks by medicine regulator the MHRA and doctors will be able to prescribe them to smokers to help them cut down or quit.

This move has been widely welcomed by medical experts and officials, as tighter regulation will ensure the products are safe and effective.

Until this happens, e cigarettes are only covered by general product safety legislation, meaning they can legally be promoted and sold to children, and we cannot be sure of their ingredients or how much nicotine they contain. The MHRA will not ban the products entirely during this interim period, but will encourage e cigarette manufacturers to apply for a medicine licence.

Are e cigarettes safe?

We don t really know until they have been thoroughly assessed and monitored in a large population over time. However, compared with regular cigarettes, they are certainly the lesser of two evils.

First, e cigarettes don t contain any tobacco only nicotine, which is highly addictive but much less dangerous. For this reason, smoking e cigarettes (known as vaping ) is generally regarded a safer alternative to smoking for those unable or unwilling to stop using nicotine.

Also, while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found the liquid and vapour to contain traces of toxins (PDF, 237kb), including cancer causing chemicals nitrosamines and formaldehyde, the level of these toxins is about one thousandth of that in cigarette smoke.

We cannot be certain that these traces of toxins are harmless, but tests on animals and a small study of 40 smokers are reassuring, providing some evidence that e cigarettes are well tolerated and only associated with mild adverse effects (slight mouth or throat irritation, a dry cough).

Public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is cautiously optimistic, concluding in its January 2013 briefing (PDF, 447kb) that there is little evidence of harmful effects from repeated exposure to propylene glycol, the chemical in which nicotine is suspended.

Others are more wary. Some health professionals do not recommend them because they believe the potential for harm is significant. It is worth bearing in mind that nicotine is not altogether harmless for example, it has been linked to anxiety and research suggests nicotine plays a direct role in the development of blood vessel disease.

E cigarettes are banned by other countries and by some UK schools concerned about their influence on adolescents (see What are the other concerns? ).

What do e cigarettes contain, and how do they work?

Most e cigarettes contain a battery, an atomiser and a replaceable cartridge. The cartridge contains nicotine in a solution of either propylene glycol or glycerine and water, and sometimes also flavourings.

When you suck on the device, a sensor detects the air flow and starts a process to heat the liquid inside the cartridge, so it evaporates to form water vapour. Inhaling this vapour delivers a hit of nicotine straight to your lungs.

Will they help me quit smoking?

We don t yet know. The evidence so far is promising, but not strong enough to draw any firm conclusions.

A 2011 study and a 2013 survey found that e cigarettes decreased the number of cigarettes consumed by smokers, and the survey also suggested they reduce cigarette cravings although participants were recruited from websites of e cigarette manufacturers, so results may not be representative.

It s not certain whether e cigarettes deliver as much nicotine as forms of nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, so they may not be as effective at curbing nicotine cravings.

However, they do have the advantage of looking and feeling like cigarettes they satisfy the same hand to mouth action, give out a smoke like vapour, and some even have an LED light that resembles the burning tip of a cigarette. This could be why a 2010 study found that even placebo e cigarettes (with no nicotine) relieved the desire to smoke within the first 10 minutes of use.

If you want to try a safer alternative to cigarettes but are concerned about the uncertainties surrounding e cigarettes, you may wish to consider a nicotine inhalator. This licensed quit smoking aid, available on the NHS, consists of just a mouthpiece and a plastic cartridge. It s proven to be safe, but the nicotine vapour only reaches the mouth rather than the lungs, so you don t get the quick hit of nicotine that comes with e cigarettes (see box below, which compares e cigarettes with inhalators).

E cigarettes vs nicotine inhalators