Electronic Cigarette Research Paper

A little over 10 years ago, the government permitted people to smoke cigarettes, pipes, and cigars in a multitude of public venues. It wasn’t until researchers conducted tests on the harmful effects of tobacco that the government decided to regulate and ban its use. There is a new kind of cigarette that is trending around the world, and that is the electronic cigarette (e-cigarette). Although this invention contains no tobacco, the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t determined e-cigarettes safe for human consumption. You might be thinking to yourself, “What are e-cigarettes?” Chances are, your children can tell you, as they are available in convenience stores for sale to minors. These e-cigarettes contain chemicals with toxins that the majority of consumers are not aware of. Nobody prohibits the use of e-cigarettes in shared spaces where non-smokers are subject to secondhand vapor. Manufacturers and merchants say that the cloud that’s seen and smelled is water vapor, but is that all it is? There are a lot of questions still left unanswered about the e-cigarette. The manufacturing, distribution, and use of electronic cigarettes may produce harmful effects to public health, a rise in nicotine addiction, and gateway to tobacco use if left unregulated.

Herbert A. Gilbert patented the electronic cigarette in 1963 (Wikipedia, n.d.). During an interview with Gilbert, J. Dunworth (2013) confirmed that although Gilbert had patented the electronic cigarette and several prototypes were built that the e-cigarette never went into production. Chinese inventor, Hon Lik, invented the modern day e-cigarette in 2003. Although the concepts of these devices are quite similar, the mechanics are not. Lik’s device produces a smoke-like vapor and Gilbert’s is smokeless (Wikipedia, n.d.). Gilbert and Lik designed e-cigarettes as an alternate means of delivering nicotine into the