The Dangers of Second Hand Smoke

Traditional cigarettes are smelly and smoky, two things that never hesitate to draw attention from those around them.  Lighting up around others can lead to irritated glances and uncomfortable feelings. People know the dangers of smoking, and the consequences of second hand smoke, so they can often be sceptical upon seeing a smoker. Because it is no secret that conventional cigarettes cause cancer and have many other serious consequences for your health, people that smoke them can be regarded as foolish and inconsiderate of those around them. However, by taking the initiative and choosing the healthier option, you no longer have to feel guilty about endangering yourself or those within the reach of your smoke.

Electronic cigarettes don't contain tobacco, which is a carcinogen found in regular cigarettes. Therefore, you can use them without harming yourself or those around you. The World Health Organisation states, "Second-hand smoke accounts for one in 10 tobacco-related deaths. Creating 100% smoke-free environments is the only way to protect people from the harmful effects of second-hand tobacco smoke" (ref: www.who.int). The website also advises, "Guidelines to Article 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control state that there is 'no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke'" (Ref: www.who.int). This means that if anyone around you encounters any bit of the product of your cigarette, they are being harmed, even if they don't want to be.

Since you never know when you're going to encounter a smoker, and therefore possibly be exposed to second hand smoke, there's always the risk that your health could be in jeopardy at any moment. Those who don't smoke traditional cigarettes are making a conscious decision not to. This could be for many reasons, but the main reason is usually because it is so bad for you. Though cigarettes can be tempting and many people believe they relieve stress, those that don't smoke are choosing to be healthy. It's unfair that even though they make the choice, they can't always help coming into contact with harmful second hand smoke. This is why, if you do smoke, choosing to use electronic cigarettes is the best thing you can do for you and for others.

Electronic cigarettes do not omit the toxic chemicals regular cigarettes do, and are a healthier and considerate alternative to conventional cigarettes. Make the decision that is best for you, and for those around you and choose e-cigs.

E Cigarettes After Exercise

Many people have tried to quit smoking. Some people manage to give up immediately once they have made the decision, for some it takes many attempts over a number of years, others cannot seem to shake the habit, and more still are on and off cigarettes regularly. It is well known at this point that smoking tobacco is extremely addictive. Nicotine is considered one of the most addictive substances known to man. However nicotine as a substance leaves our bodies quite quickly. For many it seems that the psychological addiction to smoking as a habit is much stronger.

If you ask many smokers they will have a favourite cigarette. Some say they could not do without a cigarette with their first coffee of the day, others say that they have to have a cigarette after a good meal and the stumbling point for many people who are trying to quit is when they go out for a drink: For some reason alcohol and cigarettes seem to go hand in hand. In these situations the likelihood of the pang of desire is more for the act of smoking rather than for the nicotine itself.

There have been nicotine replacement therapies for decades. There are patches, gums, inhalers and there is even medication designed to make your desire for nicotine and cigarettes reduce. While these systems are all proven to have an effect on nicotine levels many feel they do not do anything for the biggest desire for a cigarette, the psychological aspect. For many people smoking is a habit. It is an automatic impulse for them to reach to their pocket when they step of the office and pull out a cigarette. Can a nicotine replacement counter the impulse that many people have built up over years of smoking?

For some quitting smoking is not about nicotine but about their habit and the ritual of putting a cigarette to theirmouth, lighting it, inhaling it, feeling and tasting the smoke. Nicotine gum was designed partly to deal with that, replacing the smoking habit with a chewing habit, satisfying the same urge to have a physical action that you associate with nicotine.

E cigarettes have a number of similarities to tobacco cigarettes that quitting aids do not have. However e cigarettes are not considered a quitting aid but rather a separate habit or pastime in themselves. Nicotine free e cigarette liquids and flavours are readily available, so nicotine need not play a part in using an e cigarette. People find that e cigarettes are satisfying entirely in themselves. You can take a satisfying inhalation of vapour, feel it on your mouth and throat and taste it. There are also traditional tobacco products that not seen as a replacement for cigarettes but valid in their own right. The Middle Eastern hookah for shisha smoking is commonly used as a social device around which people drink tea and relax. It can be worth seeing e cigarettes as a similar device: not for quitting but rather as an entirely valid pastime in their own right.

What is Vaping??

E cigarettes are relatively simple machines and they are causing a revolution in the smoking industry. They aren't necessarily a method of quitting – a nicotine addiction can be maintained – but they can replace cigarettes and tobacco and the around 4,000 chemicals, including 70 cancer causers, in its smoke.

At the centre of the ecigarette (some companies call them personal vapourisers and the act of ‘smoking’ them vaping) and making it work is the atomizer.

The older type e-cigarettes are designed around three parts, the atomizer, the liquid reservoir or cartridge and the battery, which sits in between the first two. However the modern, next generation of e-cigs now combine the atomizer and the cartridge into a single unit called a cartomizer or clearomizer.

The atomizer, heats the liquid in the cartridge to produce the vapour, which the vaper then inhales.

The fluid is fed to the atomizer usually through capillary action or wicking. Capillary action is the physical process by which fluids can defy gravity and flow uphill when they are in close contact with another substance. It’s how our tears are produced and why damp travels up brick walls.

A wick in the cartridge brings the fluid to the atomizer through its fine metal bridge. You can usually see this part when you refill your ecigarette. This bridge keeps fluid flowing inside the atomiser – capillary action again – until it meets a heating element with a current running through it. The heat in the element, either when the machine is switched on or when the ‘smoker’ inhales and sets off an air pressure sensor, warms the liquid until it vaporises, producing the steam-like smoke that is so characteristic of ecigarettes.

Not all models of ecigarette use the same type of atomizer; they can be exposed or enclosed.

The difference is easy to spot when you refill your ecigarette, an exposed atomizer will show the full metal bridge and they are usually smaller.

An exposed atomizer will be larger. The bridge will still be visible, but only the edge of it, at the bottom of the enclosing tube.

Enclosed atomizers can be used for ‘dripping’. This is a different way of getting the vapour in which the efluid is dropped directly onto the bridge of the vaporiser before shutting up the ecigarette and vaping. Exposed atomizers can be used for dripping, and many e-liquid bottles now come with needle caps to make the refilling even easier.

The newest type of atomizer is the combined cartomiser. This clever device combines the atomizer and the fluid-containing cartridge into one disposable unit. If you buy a super sized cartomiser, you should get around 250-300 puffs of vapour.

The atomisers in ecigarettes do not last forever. They can burn out accidentally and the interaction of heat and liquid mean that, like an engine, deposits of waste material build up. Check on the wrapping of any atomizers or cartomisers you buy and you will probably find an expected lifespan, usually between two weeks and 60 weeks. Despite this fact, replacement atomizers are relatively cheap and easy to replace, with prices from only around £2.70 and upwards. You can also now buy atomizers with different levels of resistance, so you can tailor your desired smoking experience even further.

What is in your e-cigarette?

In March 2013, it was predicted that 1 million UK adults would be switching to tobacco-free electronic cigarettes.

The slim, battery-powered machines are the latest front in the anti-smoking wars. They deliver the nicotine the addict craves while providing a very similar experience to smoking a real cigarette – a habit smokers struggle to replace with gum, lozenges or patches. With their harmless vapour, you can even use them inside while smokers struggle outside to puff in some petrol fumes along with their fix.

The roots of these simple machines lie in 1960s America, but it was Chinese ingenuity that actually took a good idea and brought it to market in the early 2000s.

While any drug delivery system – which is what an e-cigarette is, the drug being nicotine - is going to be controversial, some of the medical profession have come out in favour of these new devices.

“If all the smokers in Britain stopped smoking cigarettes and started smoking e-cigarettes we would save 5 million deaths in people who are alive today,” Professor John Britton of the Royal College of Physicians told the BBC.

Britton argues that nicotine itself is relatively harmless, rated as about as medically dangerous as the caffeine in your cup of coffee, but it’s everything else that comes with cigarettes that makes them such killers – taking around 80,000 lives a year in the UK according to the Department of Health.

However, they are relatively new and aren’t regulated in the same way that medicines are. You need to be sure that you use a reputable supplier, as there are no purity standards in force, yet. The British Medical Association would like to see e-cigarettes treated like other nicotine replacement therapies and licensed like a medicine. Battles in court lie ahead.

So what is inside these little machines?

The newer versions of e-cigarettes now just come in two parts:

The first is the cigarette’s cartridge/cartomizer. It’s usually plastic and holds the liquid contents that deliver the nicotine as well as a mouthpiece. Within the cartridge/clearomizer there will also be an atomizer, which turns the liquid into the vapour that the smoker inhales.

The second part is the battery– usually rechargeable – to keep the whole thing going.

The cartridge/clearomizer has a hole at each end. One for the smoker to suck on and the other to let excess vapour out, giving the clouds of ‘smoke’ that make e-cigarettes so convincing as replacements for real cigarettes. Most modern e-cigarettes either use a cartridge to hold the nicotine-containing liquid, or a tank that can be refilled. Most cartridges contain enough nicotine to replace around 20-25 traditional cigarettes.

These clever little machines are not very high tech. The atomizer is simply a heatable filament with a wick or mesh that brings the liquid to the heat. Eventually, the atomizer will become clogged with liquid waste and need replacing. Replacement atomizers/coil heads can be purchased from only £2.70.

Finally, the battery, which is usually the biggest single component of the e-cigarette. Some e-cigarettes work with an air sensor, so just sucking on the mouthpiece will start up the operation. Others have an on off switch. The batteries are usually lithium-ion rechargeable models so you’ll need a charger to keep smoking. Some e-cigarettes come with adjustable batteries so the user can control the heat of the atomizer to their taste. E-cigarettes don’t last for ever, like any battery they wear out over time depending upon use, however the improved design of modern e-cigs mean they now last longer than ever, with lengthy warranty periods now being offered by many companies.

That’s the hardware. The all-important software – often called e-liquid or e-juice – is a mixture of a carrier fluid, flavourings and concentrated nicotine. The carrier liquid is either propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol 400 or vegetable glycerine or a mixture of them.

All three chemicals are commonly used and are considered safe.

Propylene glycol is used as a preservative in the food industry and ironically, in the tobacco industry it might help kill off.

Refills are often flavoured.

Nicotine is an addictive drug, although only mildly so – it’s the other components of tobacco smoke that make that particular way of ingesting it so hard to quit. It is almost unique as a drug in that it can produce both a pick-me-up stimulating effect and a relaxing sedative and even pain killing action. We no longer need tobacco plants to produce nicotine, the concentrate can be synthesised in a lab. 

Quitting Smoking

Almost every smoker has tried to quit at some point, with differing degrees of success. Some quit the first time, some the twentieth time. Some have never managed to give up and some get off them for a few months or even a few years before going back to cigarettes. There are myriad quitting aids that can help you quit, including nicotine gum, nicotine patches, pharmaceutical medications and hypnotherapy. Some people try putting an elastic band around their wrist and snapping it whenever they get an urge and others develop a serious Polo mint habit to replace their smoking. Whatever way people have tried, e cigarettes are the new development on the market. However e cigarettes do not have to be a replacement or a method to quit.

A lot of people are now switching to using an e cigarette but usually the reasons are quite common, whether it is the desire to smoke without the fears of damage to their health caused by Tobacco, Carbon Monoxide and the many hundreds of chemicals they inhale in traditional cigarettes, for others it may just be the cost savings involved. Their value is easy to appreciate; you are getting nicotine via the flavouring liquid and this can be reduced in strength as the months pass and most importantly e cigarettes provide a mouth feel and throat hit similar to that of smoking. These are all huge advantages of electronic smoking.

When smoking with e cigarettes what a lot of people do not predict is that they will actually come to appreciate puffing on an e cigarette in its own right. An innumerable amount of people had it set in their mind that they would slowly switch over to e cigarettes, and once their tobacco habit dies down they will try to possibly cut back on e cigarettes. E cigarettes are enjoyable though. Many find the range of flavours and the different strengths available quite satisfying. And without the harmful effect of the carcinogenic smoke there is no reason not to keep on with a hobby you enjoy and find relaxation in.

The other important point about e cigarettes is that many feel they won’t be fully satisfied by them. That is not a problem either, because it is quite easy to complement an e cigarette with traditional tobacco cigarettes. You do not have to decide that you are going to only smoke e cigarettes, instead you can carry tobacco cigarettes and e cigarettes with you at the same time. Even if you only use the e cigarette half the day, that will still mean you are smoking half as much tobacco cigarettes and that certainly has a noticeable health benefit, not to mention a financial benefit. You don’t even have to puff on an e cigarette that contains nicotine. There are plenty of nicotine free flavouring liquids available so there are options without any drug effects.

If you are thinking about trying an e cigarette you should go into it with an open mind. With e cigarettes you have a much healthier choice for nicotine than you could ever have with a tobacco cigarette. Most people find e cigarettes enjoyable, you do not have to give up tobacco cigarettes, you can simply provide yourself with more choice and variety and possible a pastime that is enjoyable without negative health consequences.

What is in an e cigarette starter kit?

First and foremost, you must be over 18 years of age to use e cigarettes. Electronic Cigarette Starter packs can range from a one-off purchase of around £15-£40 and then ongoing costs of the cartridges or e- liquid. An e cigarette starter kit simulates smoking, but without the flame, tobacco, tar, carbon monoxide, or any of the other toxic elements found in real cigarettes.

Best4Ecigs NG 5 Magnum is the latest E Cig kit to be launched. The NG5 comes with two of the latest design magnetic charging e-cigarettes and touch charger, which as well as having the powerful 650mah battery allows you the convenience of charging your e-cig without even taking the battery and cartridge or clearomizer apart. The NG5 DeluxeE-liquid kit also includes a top of the range Vision Mini Vivi Nova Clearomizer, a 10ml bottle of Hangsen E-liquid and a complimentary pack of cartomizers in our highly popular tobacco blend.

Starter kits can also be bought with refill cartridges, so once a kit is purchased, the person can use the flavoured e cigarette for a substantial period of time. There is a large range of flavour choices available – everything from cherry to mango, redbull to menthol. Another benefit for electronic smokers is the fact that cartridges and e liquid come in a range of nicotine strengths from extra High - zero, allowing consumers to reduce their nicotine intake over time.

There are many e cigarette starter kits available. They contain everything that a new or experienced user will require to use the product directly from the box. The kits have been developed to offer a range of options to suit all needs - the experienced user who wants to upgrade or a new or novice user who is looking for a high quality initial experience with an e cigarette. All the kits have detailed content descriptions so that you can understand clearly what each product provides and all the options available.

With this kit you will have all you need to start your path to a Tobacco-free lifestyle.

Here’s how they work:

First,the cartridge releases a hit of nicotine in vapor form that gives the taste without the harmful additives and chemicals of real cigarettes.

At the same time, the heater vaporises the nicotine, which creates the smoke vapors that make it look and feel like a real cigarette. The microprocessor controls the heater and the light, while the sensor detects when you take a drag.  The experience of smoking, without the smoke and tar inhaled into the lungs.

If you are serious about breaking the damaging habit of tobacco smoking, an e cigarette starter kit is one of the best ways to take control of the habit, instead of it controlling you. There are many different starter kit options available here and we can support you all the way to make the change your body needs.

The Cost of Smoking

Any smoker will tell you what a huge expense buying cigarettes is. With prices skyrocketing to around £7 a pack, avid smokers can end up spending hundreds of pounds a month on their habit. With all the costs associated with traditional cigarettes (as well as the other obvious risks they present) it is alarming that more people don't look to other cheaper solutions for their fix.

If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, you will smoke 7,300 a year. This means you will spend an average of £2,555 per year on cigarettes alone. That is the cost of a luxury holiday or a decent car! Alternatively, even if you just smoke five cigarettes a day- you can still expect to spend over £600 per year. That's money that you could be saving if you made the financially-conscious decision to switch to replenishable electronic cigarettes. Think of how much the costs I’ve already mentioned add up throughout one's lifetime!  If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day for 30 years, that's £76,650!!!!

You can get started with a kit of electronic cigarettes for as little as £20. Replacing the cartridges is unbelievable cheap- from just £6.95 for the equivalent of 100 traditional cigarettes. This means that you're essentially paying only £1.39 for a pack! The savings are incredible and the benefits don't stop there. When you choose an electronic cigarette, you are choosing the healthier alternative to traditional smoking. The money ecigs save you will continue to grow once you realise you will not require as much medical attention and doctor's visits since your body will become stronger and more resilient. Cutting traditional cigarettes out of your life will mean that you'll no longer be plagued with coughs that won't go away and your blood pressure will be easier to keep in check (to name but a couple of things). This means that you will no longer have to invest in medication for your smoking-related difficulties, and you can use that additional money to spend on something special.

Because electronic cigarettes don't emit the same smoky odour as traditional cigs, you won't have to spend as much money on getting your smelly jacket and clothes washed. You'll no longer have to worry about the icky smell that resides deep within the fabrics of your home and closet. Your furniture and clothing will last longer, smell fresher, and be much more pleasant to be around. All the money you save on dry cleaning or washing supplies can be added to your growing savings.

A recent study showed that smokers take 2.7 more sick days than non smokers. Traditional cigarette smokers' immunity is lower and they're more susceptible to infections, so this makes sense. However, the combination of this has been found to cost UK businesses a total of £1.4 billion a year! Think of all the money you and your country could save if everyone switched to a better alternative. £1.4 billion wasted in productivity due to the consequences of smoking! Not to mention, those among us who don't get sick pay are losing even more because of their habit. [Ref: Report by UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies at the University of Nottingham 2012]

It is very clear the incredible expense of traditional cigarettes. Whether it's the extra doctor's bills or medication you need because of the health problems it causes, the dry cleaning costs that add up due to the smelly habit, or simply the cost of the cigarettes themselves- you will save drastically by modifying your ways. Instead of spending thousands on cigarettes, invest in a financially friendly ecigarette and start enjoying the many benefits.