The reason e-cigs were developed is necessary to understanding what electronic cigarettes are. For decades smokers could indulge their habit in any setting without interference. The tolerance for cigarette smoking has undergone a drastic change in recent years.
Public venues have become smoke free areas and public entertainment venues are rapidly following suit. The realization that second hand smoke endangers those around them has led to smokers indulging their habit out of doors. It is not unusual to find a small group smokers huddled in the cold or heat just outside the entry to a business.
The solution to the growing public intolerance to smoking is the e-cigarette which was introduced in 2003. Flavor and nicotine is delivered to the user through a vapor that has no negative effect on those around you. The e-cig may physically resemble a ball point pen or a tobacco product such as a cigarette, pipe or cigar with many designed to look just like the tobacco version.
Electronic cigarettes are reusable. The best selling model is the automatic style although manually activated models are also available. Some e-cigs come with disposable components while others are refillable.
The flow of air is detected by a sensor that will activate a heating element and that heat vaporizes a solution containing nicotine. The solution may be added with an e-fluid or may be a cartridge located in the mouthpiece. A LED light at the end of the electronic cigarette lights when vapor is produced. Original models of the product routinely used an orange or red LED to resemble the fire of a lit cigarette. Today the user can choose from a variety of LED colors.
On manual models, the user must press a button to activate the heating element and produce a vapor. The same components of electronic circuits and rechargeable batteries are present in both delivery systems, manual and automatic.
The tip of the mouthpiece may be round like a cigarette or shaped like the plastic mouthpiece of some cigars. Absorbable material in a small cup located in the mouthpiece is saturated by the user with an e-liquid that is a flavored product that contains nicotine. The common name for the mouthpiece is “cartridge” and it may be refillable with the e-liquid or may be a disposable cartridge that is simply replaced when the solution has been used. The heating element is the “atomizer” and located in the battery section of the e-cig. Heat is used to vaporize the e-solution allowing the user to inhale the vapor.
The purpose of e-cigs is to act as a delivery system for nicotine. The e-liquid can be purchased in many flavors and in various concentrations of nicotine. The concentrations resemble the nicotine levels in tobacco products with regular, light or ultra-light strengths. E-cigs provide an efficient delivery method for nicotine that does not affect those around you or spread foul odor inside your home. Understanding how the product works quickly answers the question “what are electronic cigarettes”.
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