Tobacco News

Electronic cigarettes have been on the market in the United States since 2006, but it has only been recently that the green aspects of the products have been brought to the attention of the masses. People have long associated traditional cigarettes with litter and unpleasant waste, but e cigarettes are quickly distancing themselves from that.

“Electronic cigarettes create much less waste than traditional cigarettes do,” says William Ellis of E Cigarette Junction. “Whether you’re measuring the amount of packaging that is wasted or how each pack of cigarettes is almost being replaced by a single refill cartridge, the numbers are staggering. Trillions of cigarette butts are thrown away every year, but if we can replace every 20 cigarettes with 1 cartridge, can you imagine the environmental benefit?”

Traditional cigarettes have been lambasted over the years due to the poisonous filters that are left behind after a smoker finishes with a cigarette. The purpose of the filter has always been to collect tar and chemicals to prevent the smoker from inhaling them, but as the filter is discarded, it poses risks to animals in the wild, including fish and birds who like to eat them. Infants and toddlers in residences also like to try and eat them, potentially risking a trip to the emergency room.

“While cigarette filters are being filled with poisonous substances as the cigarette burns and the smoker inhales through them, e-cigarette refill cartridge contents are depleted as they are being used, eventually leaving the e-cigarette user with no chemicals left in it,” says Ellis. “The used cartridge doesn’t pose a danger to anyone, because the nicotine that was in it before being used is gone.”

Electronic cigarettes also create less air pollution than traditional cigarettes, because the products do not combust tobacco and thus, do not create smoke. While many consumers are convinced about the benefits of the products, however, special interest groups remain skeptical.

from officialwire.com, June 14th, 2010