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Daniel Newcomb

Professor Jackson Joseph

ENGL 1302

26 March 2017

The impact of Electronic Cigarettes

Within the past couple years, electronic cigarettes, commonly called e-cigs or vapes, have

been seen in the hands of many smokers and non-smokers alike. Electronic cigarettes are battery

powered vaporizers, the liquid vaporized contains a combination of propylene glycol (referred to

as PG), vegetable glycerin (referred to as VG), various levels of nicotine, and flavor concentrates

(E-Cigarettes: Questions and Answers). But what caused this rapid growth in the electronic

cigarette market? E-cigs have become an easier way for smokers to quit or to move to a less

dangerous substitute. Replacing everyday cigarettes, e-cigs produce no smoke, generally have

lower nicotine levels, and hold a lower risk of second-hand smoke, and introduces less harmful

chemicals into the body that causes of lung cancer. They have also attracted non-smokers for the

social appeal, and the interesting flavors that the e-juice can come in. Vapes have become

socially acceptable due to the lack of odor, and the lower possibility of becoming addicted due

the fact that the nicotine levels in the e-juice can be consciously chosen by the consumer.

Furthermore, e-juice comes in many different flavors allowing the buyer to find a flavor that

appeals to them. There are many positive appeals to e-cigs, however, there has been little long

term research that have come with e-cigs usage. This is keeping some people skeptical to the

positive short term research that has been completed. Though there is some uncertainty about

electronic cigarette usage, there are short and long term effects that have already been
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discovered. The effects of the introduction of e-cigs is that there is a lower amount of toxins

inhaled compared to cigarettes, it has brought a decline in cigarette purchases, but the increased

popularity has given a gateway to nicotine to many teens.

Long term electronic cigarette usage has been found to significantly decrease the amount

of toxic chemicals inhaled by the consumer which is comparable to cigarettes. In an article

written by NHS Choices, a heath website based out of the UK, reports over what is thought to be

the first long-term vaping study. The article, "Long-term Vaping 'Far Safer Than Smoking' Says

'Landmark' Study," was written over the study done by the CDC, University College London,

and multiple other institutions. The research was done as a cross-sectional study that "drew

comparisons on exposure to nicotine," along with other harmful toxins, in a multitude of groups.

The study focused on former smokers that used either regular cigarettes, cigarettes along with

vapes, smokers taking NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) or those switching to use only e-cigs.

In their report, NHS Choices portrays how e-cigs have a significantly lower levels of

"carcinogens and toxins" in comparison to "smoking only combustible cigarettes" (Shahab). This

quote helps portray how e-cigs are healthier to inhale over a long period of time because they

have a relatively low chemical levels. This is considered a positive effect of the introduction of e-

cigs because it shows there are healthier alternatives. This causes people to buy them over

regular cigarettes, bringing a reduced amount of toxins inhaled by the consumers who decide to

switch from smoking cigarettes to e-cigarettes. Furthermore, the only found chemical to be

consistently absorbed by the blood stream of electronic cigarettes is nicotine. The other

ingredients, PG, VG, and the flavorings, are found to have molecules too big to be absorbed by

the blood stream, therefore they are exhaled instead of being absorbed, creating the larger vapor
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clouds. The smoke that comes from a cigarette smoker is a lot thinner because of the reason that

the majority of the molecules or chemicals are absorbed instead of being exhaled.

Another effect readily seen by the introduction of electronic cigarettes to the smokers

market is the decline of cigarette purchases. This effect could be done through multiple ways.

The smokers switching to vaping to quit, smokers switching to vaping for the health benefits, or

non-smokers going to vaping instead of smoking cigarettes. People using e-cigarettes to quit can

do this by slowly lowering their nicotine intake until they reach 0 and can quit vaping from there.

This can be done because nicotine levels in e-juice ranges from 0-18mg per bottle, and the

smoker can start at 18 and each of the next bottles they get, they can lower the nicotine level,

until 0mg is reached. Secondly, some smokers switch to e-cigarettes due to the health benefits or

the "risk reduction" of using e-cigs over cigarette. This switch is seen because some users decide

they have had enough with the risks of smoking, but they still find themselves addicted to

nicotine, so they can't go cold turkey on their nicotine intake. Lastly, non-smokers switching to

vaping instead of cigarettes has been seen. This happens because the non-smokers find vaping

more appealing due to the lower risks along with the higher social acceptance. In a study carried

out by Carla Berg from Emory University in Atlanta, these changes in smoking behavior was

seen. In this study, "the majority [of the participants] reported improved health (65.4%), reduced

smokers cough (57.7%), and improved sense of smell (53.8%) and taste (50.0%)" leading to the

participations saying that " e-cigarettes versus regular cigarettes have fewer health risks (97.2%)

and that e-cigarettes have been shown to help smokers quit (80.6%) and reduce cigarette

consumption (97.2%)". And at the conclusion of the study 69.4% of the participants stated that e-

cigarettes were used as a complete replacement for regular cigarettes (Berg).

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Through all the positive effects, there is one obvious down side, the introduction of

electronic cigarettes have caused a "mainstream" gateway to nicotine addiction to teenagers and

non-smokers. It is a conscious decision when deciding which nicotine level to buy when getting

a bottle of e-juice, as each bottle or box that holds the bottle is clearly marked of nicotine level

and PG/VG ratios. Even with this conscious decision, some new smokers will choose to chase

what is called a "nicotine buzz" pushing them to buy an e-juice with a non-zero nicotine level. A

"nicotine buzz" is the mainstream version of saying the high the consumer feels when the

nicotine reaches the brain. But this high comes with a cost. When nicotine enters the blood

stream, adrenaline and dopamine is released. Adrenaline increases heart rate and blood pressure,

creating a more active state, and dopamine stimulates the pleasure center in your brain giving the

user a since of pleasure without any other positive outside causes. This short lived sensation

pushes the user to take another puff, activating the cycle again. If repeated, the human body will

begin to crave nicotine and the pleasure that arises from its usage. The body will connect the

pleasure with the electronic cigarettes, so whenever a stressful situation arises, the brain tells the

body nicotine is the answer (Trimarchi). With the introduction of electronic cigarettes, and its

appeal to teens and non-smokers, it raises the possibility for these users to become hooked to

nicotine and its effects it has on the body.

Electronic cigarettes have shocked the world by giving a simple risk reduction option to

regular cigarettes. The effects of the introduction of electronic cigarettes is that there is a lower

amount of toxins inhaled compared to cigarettes, it has brought a decline in cigarette purchases,

but the increased popularity has given a gateway to nicotine to many teens. They have allowed

long time smokers to choose a healthier option, and has provided an easier way to break the habit
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of smoking without complete withdrawal, but it has brought an increase of availability and

appeal of nicotine to teenagers and non-smokers.

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Works Cited

Berg, Carla J., et al. Attitudes toward E-Cigarettes, Reasons for Initiating E-Cigarette Use, and

Changes in Smoking Behavior after Initiation: A Pilot Longitudinal Study of Regular

Cigarette Smokers. Open journal of preventive medicine, U.S. National Library of

Medicine, 4 Oct. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4304080/. Accessed 23

Mar. 2017.

E-Cigarettes: Questions and Answers. US Food and Drug Admninstration, 2010,

www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm225210.html. Accessed 23 Mar. 2017.

Shahab, et al. Long-Term vaping 'Far safer than smoking' says 'Landmark' study - Health

News. NHS Choices, NHS, 7 Feb. 2017,

www.nhs.uk/news/2017/02February/Pages/Long-term-vaping-far-safer-than-smoking-

says-landmark-study.aspx. Accessed 23 Mar. 2017.

Trimarchi, Maria, and Ann Meeker-O'Connell. How Nicotine Works. HowStuffWorks Science,

HowStuffWorks, 2 Jan. 2001, science.howstuffworks.com/nicotine.htm. Accessed 23

Mar. 2017.