Electronic Cigarette FAQ

Are Electronic Cigarettes Safe?

E-Cigarettes contain propylene glycol (or sometimes vegetable glycerin), water, nicotine and flavorings. Propylene glycol and glycerin are both common food additives and are on the FDA ‘GRAS’ list (Generally Recognized as Safe). They are approved for use in cosmetics, medicines and foodstuffs. You will find propylene glycol in such products as mouthwash, toothpaste and food additives – and it is also used to provide artificial smoke in theatre productions.

Now, it’s important to state that nicotine is a highly addictive substance. Although the jury is out on whether it is harmful or actually in some circumstances may be beneficial to the body, there is no doubt that the main harm caused by cigarette smoking comes from some of the other 4,000 or so chemicals contained in tobacco (more than 50 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer).

According to Matt Salmon, former US Congressman and current President of the Electronic Cigarette Association, available data indicates that “electronic cigarettes reduce the risk of illness and death to under 1% of the risk posed by tobacco cigarettes”.

The availablity of cartridges with different amounts of nicotine (including 0mg) means it’s possible to reduce your intake over time, thereby possibly allowing people to wean themselves off their nicotine addiction – though it’s currently illegal in most jurisdictions to market electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation device.

Are they cheaper to smoke than normal cigarettes?

The short and sweet answer is YES! An average electronic cigarette cartridge lasts for the equivalent of around 2 packets of normal cigarettes. A standard pack of 5 cartridges normally retails for between $12 and $15 – so each one costs between $2.40 and $3. As each cartridge is roughly equal to 40 cigarettes, it’s easy to see that electronic cigarettes cost less than half the price of traditional cigarettes.

Supposing you normally smoke 20 cigarettes a day and pay $5 per pack, you could save more than $1200 a year by switching to electronic cigarettes!

Of course, you have to factor in the initial cost of purchasing a kit, but it’s obvious that in a short period of time it will have paid for itself in the savings made by the low ongoing costs.

Are they legal to smoke in public?

Electronic Cigarettes give you the freedom to smoke where you want. If you’re frustrated by no longer being able to smoke in public places, electronic cigarettes can offer you a solution. They are not currently covered by smoking restrictions as they only produce vapor. This makes them legal to smoke anywhere – though you may get some strange looks from people!

Does smoking an Electronic Cigarette feel like smoking a normal one?

It feels similar, but not the same. For one thing an Electronic Cigarette is heavier than the traditional sort and although many models produce a dense vapor (you can even blow ’smoke’ rings!), the tobacco flavored cartridges don’t taste exactly like real tobacco.

What’s the difference between a Smokeless Cigarette and an Electronic Cigarette?

Nothing. Smokeless Cigarette, E-Cigarette and E-Cig are all alternative terms you may see used to describe Electronic Cigarettes.

How do you switch them on and off?

There’s no switch because you don’t need one. The device is automatically activated when you start to inhale and it switches itself off instantaneously when the airflow sensor detects that you have finished inhaling, thus using the lowest amount of battery power possible.

Help, my Electronic Cigarette has stopped working!

The ECigarettes we recommend are all reliable. If the amount of vapor produced when you inhale starts to decrease or stop altogether, first check that the cartridge is not depleted – try another one. If that doesn’t work, then it’s normally because the battery is not properly charged or may be faulty – try another battery. If neither of these solutions cure your problem, then you probably need a new atomizer.