Electronic cigarettes, often marketed as a safe alternative to conventional cigarettes, can have serious effects on health, according to the e-cigarettes surgeon general website.

E-cigs work completely different than traditional cigarettes. They have become increasingly popular among people trying to quit smoking.

“Just because it’s safer than cigarettes, e-cigs should not be used in public places, and the ease of use of e-cigs makes it even worse,” Spanish professor Adam Majors said.

In e-cigs, the liquid which contains nicotine, propyl glycol, glycerin and flavorings is heated with an electrical coil which turns the liquid into vapor, and that vapor is inhaled.

While in traditional cigarettes, the tobacco is burned and the smoke produced is inhaled.

When the e-liquid in e-cigs is vaporized, the aerosol produced contains much less harmful chemicals than a normal cigarette.

When tobacco is burned, it releases thousands of harmful chemicals like nicotine, carbon monoxide and acrolein in the smoke.

Over 50 of those chemicals are carcinogenic, which means it causes cancer.

However, vapor from e-cigs contains propylene glycol, which is also used in theatrical smoke. It is known to cause irritation to the eyes and respiratory infection.

Although the FDA has given the seal of approval, much is still to be learned about the effects of vapor.

E- liquids, having no regulation for additives, can contain other harmful chemicals.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than two million middle and high school students have reportedly used e-cigs in the past few months.

E-cigs are getting popular with teenagers and young adults.

“Smoking e-cigs is great if you are switching from the regular cigarette, but some people really start smoking other tobacco after they start vaping,” freshman computer science major Nicholas Hall said.
“I see e-cigs as a gateway to smoking,” Hall added.

Smoking e-cigs in public places has also been on the rise in recent years.

Many students of ULM have started using vape pens around campus.

It is indeed a safer and healthier choice, but that doesn’t mean it is less harmful.

A recent study at the New York University School of Medicine found that mice exposed to e-cigarettes’ vapor experienced DNA damage in the lungs, bladder and heart.

“E-cig or regular cigarette, they are both unhealthy, and a non-smoker should not start vaping just because it’s safer,” said freshman biology major Sunil Bishwokarma.

“There is still serious risk involved in smoking. Whether it is regular smoking or e-cigs, I don’t support it,” Bishwokarma added.

The rise of electronic cigarettes has not been correlated with the decrease in smoking traditional cigarettes.