Pros and Cons of Using Smokeless/Electronic Cigarettes

Cost

Average smokers who smoke ten cigarettes a day spend about $1,500 per year on buying them. While the cost of purchasing the equivalent number of smokeless cigarettes can save approximately $1.200 a year. Many people who are unable to afford this expenditures might benefit from switching to e-cigarettes for long term money saving. Spending money on refills and chargers is still considerably cheaper than buying cigarettes.

Health Concerns

Virtually everybody is familiar with the hazardous impact of smoking tobacco. Both smokers and passive smokers are at risk of developing many health problems. For this reason, numerous inventions have emerged to help people quit smoking or to reduce the amount of toxins inhaled by smokers. Some of these methods or inventions are hypnotism, nicotine patches, gum, and inhalers. These alternatives have proved successful for some people.

E-cigarettes producers assert that their products can consi derably diminish the health risks because the main component present in e-cigarettes apart from nicotine is propylene glycol which is listed as a safe substance according to the U.S Food and Drug Association, and does not pose a risk when used by humans.
Although e-cigarettes contain nicotine in varying concentrations, they are virtually completely free of tobacco and tar. Studies have found that there are at least 4,000 harmful chemicals present in tobacco smoke. It is also well known that smoking a single cigarette is enough to cause damage to a human's DNA. Other possible health problems related to inhaling burning tobacco fumes are heart attacks, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases as well as visible skin and teeth deterioration. All of these conditions can possibly be avoided by smoking e-cigarettes.

According to a study conducted at Boston University School of Public Health http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarette, it was concluded that smoking e-cigarettes is safer than smoking conventional cigarettes. The study also showed that e-cigarettes are lower in harmful substances and can help people quit smoking. However, e-cigarettes are subject to regulation by the U.S Food and Drug Association as tobacco products because they are used as an alternative to regular cigarettes and not for therapeutic purposes.

In addition, some health officials argue that considering e-cigarettes safe would encourage children to start using them. In 2009, the FDA prohibited the sale of flavored e-cigarettes because they can be tempting to minors. Some states are planning to ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places and even outlaw them.

Given the fact that smokeless cigarettes have been introduced only a few years ago, there are insufficient independent studies carried out to determine and verify the long term advantages and disadvantages of electronic cigarettes. But in general, smokers who are trying to give up smoking may find that changing to smokeless cigarettes will help to improve their health that otherwise might be damaged by continuing to smoke tobacco, and also benefit from the lower cost of buying e-cigarettes.