The Invention of Smoking Cessation E-Cigarette

Some consider it a wonderful invention; others look on them with concern. At first they were seen as a tool for the cessation of smoking, but over the years have become increasingly considered as a substitute to actually quitting. When they first arrived on the market it was believed by most people that it was a sure fire way of stopping smoking and most health organizations welcomed them as an easy way for people to break the habit. Unfortunately, that didn’t prove to be the case. An artificial substitute for inhaling nicotine is just that, a replacement or displacement of the craving, but doesn’t actually stop the addiction. That isn’t to say that some people did have success breaking their habits by using e cigarette, but it is more due to will power than any make-believe cigarettes.

First invented by a Mr Herbert Gilbert back in 1963 the interest in it as a commercial venture petered out around 1967. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that a Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, designed the e-cigarette that we know today. They entered the Chinese domestic market in 2004. Between 2005-2006 they started being exported all around the world. Also known as the electric inhaler or personal vaporizer. Basically, it vaporizes e liquid nicotine solution by heating it until it becomes an aerosol type spray that can be inhaled. Manufactured to look like a cigarette it has four basic parts. The cartridge is the part that you put into your mouth and also acts as liquid reservoir. The atomizer is the heating coil that warms the liquid and turns it into vapour. Together, they are also called the cartomizer. Lastly, the battery, which is very small, made of lithium and can be recharged. The liquid used in these e-cigarettes consist of a tiny amount of nicotine concentrate mixed with a solution of glycol or glycerine, which is also flavoured. Glycol and glycerine are the most commonly used solutions with which the nicotine is diluted, but other chemicals can be used. Because of the chemicals used, there has been concern over replacing one set of harmful chemicals with another. There have been some potentially dangerous chemicals found in some brands. The health debate continues.

The World Health Organization has claimed that there are no effective studies that prove that electronic cigarette is safe and effective in reducing smoking. There has also been some concern over the chemicals used in them. Other studies differ. The American F.D.A., although it doesn’t condemn them outright, it does discourage their use, claiming that there isn’t enough evidence in their favour. As you would expect, the Electronic Cigarette Association doesn’t agree. They point to a study carried out by the Boston University Public Health Unit which claims they found traces of harmful carcinogens lower than a thousand times the level of ordinary cigarettes and that there is little to be concerned about. The Canadian authorities have banned them, believing their harmlessness hasn’t been proved. The United Kingdom prefers the use of the e-cigarette to trying to quit alone. They believe that nicotine patches and e-cigarettes all help smokers stop. While the debate rages, more and more people are turning to e-cigarettes as a healthier alternative to smoking.