How do e-cigarettes work?

E-cigarettes have a small tank that contains a liquid. These are called liquids. There is also a heating coil in the electronic cigarette. This is heated by a rechargeable battery or battery and ensures that the liquid evaporates. This vapor is then inhaled by the consumer. There are now many different products on the market: There are e-cigarettes with already finished tanks, which are changed after use. Other models contain built-in tanks that you fill yourself. Some models even have their own software, which can be used to adjust the electrical voltage of the heating coil.

As a further alternative, there are so-called tobacco heaters: These consist of a case with an integrated battery into which a tobacco stick is inserted. This looks similar to a classic cigarette. The tobacco contained is heated to 250-350 degrees and forms an aerosol. This fine mist is then inhaled. You pull directly on the tobacco stick and the aerosol is simply passed through a filter. In comparison to conventional cigarettes, the tobacco is not burned in tobacco heaters, so there is no tobacco smoke, no ash and no classic cigarette smell. The tobacco heaters are the answer of many tobacco companies to the growing e-cigarette market.

What is contained in the liquid of e-cigarettes?

However, let's get back to the question of whether e-cigarettes are really safer than traditional cigarettes. There are a number of e-cigarette studies that have examined this theory and scientifically proven it. To answer this, you should first look at the liquids. The EU Tobacco Products Directive regulates exactly what can be contained in the liquids. Typically, these consist of distilled water and two basic additives: propylene glycol and glycerin. Also included are different flavorings, depending on the taste, as well as nicotine. However, there are also liquids that do not contain nicotine.

In Germany, a filling may contain a maximum of 10 ml of liquid with up to 20 mg of nicotine. 20 mg of nicotine corresponds approximately to the nicotine content of a classic pack of cigarettes. Overall, liquids produced within the EU contain significantly fewer ingredients than conventional cigarettes, which makes them less harmful to health.

Are e-cigarettes safe?

Heating the liquid inside the e-cigarette creates substances that are harmful to health, just like smoking a conventional cigarette. Some of them are even considered to promote cancer. In addition, substances can come loose from the metal parts, such as the heating wire, and also get into the steam and be installed. The health consequences caused by inhalation have not yet been studied in the long term. It is not yet known whether using an e-cigarette for many years leads to respiratory or cardiovascular diseases. However, it is known that inhalation can irritate the respiratory tract and briefly impair lung function and respiratory defense mechanisms. E-cigarettes are not harmless, but they are still a better alternative compared to classic cigarettes.

Are e-cigarettes less harmful than tobacco?

significantly fewer harmful substances when using an e-cigarette than when smoking tobacco. This is because most of the harmful substances are created when tobacco is heated or burned. These include many respiratory toxins and carcinogenic substances. The e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco and therefore release fewer harmful substances. At the same time, e-cigarette smokers inhale less carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide impairs the transport of oxygen in the blood. Many scientists therefore assume that e-cigarettes are less harmful in the long term than traditional cigarettes. So it is the lesser evil and switching can be recommended.

Of course, it's even better to give up smoking completely, but if you can't do that, you should opt for the electronic version.


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