A Better Substitute for Tobacco Cigarettes (Research Paper Sample)

Electronic Cigarettes: A Better Substitute for Tobacco Cigarettes Name Institution of Affiliation Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to inquire on the benefits of the electronic cigarette versus the tobacco cigarette. This study looked at previously published literature pertaining to the use, success, and statistics pertaining to electronic cigarette use. Studies have shown that there are 4,000 less chemicals in an electronic cigarette when compared to its tobacco counterpart. Additionally, numerous studies have established the effectiveness of the electronic cigarette as an alternative to smoking cessation. Compared to other nicotine products, including tobacco cigarettes, the electronic cigarette appears to be the safest product for smoking cessation available in the United States. This paper further explores the general perception of the smokers on the use of the electronic cigarette as an aid to reduce or help in smoking cessation. Previous research examples such as the one performed by Steinberg et al, will be examined in attributed to the general conclusion. Introduction Cigarette Smoking is one of the leading causes of cancer across the globe. The Indonesian men are the leading smokers in the world with 70% reported to be smoking cigarette in 2012. On a similar note, the United States is not left behind in the cigarette smoking statistics. It is a common habit in the United States. About 42.1 million people in the United States smoke cigarettes, and it is considered one of the leading preventable deaths in the United States (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Looking at the negatives effects smoking has on the human body, a Chinese pharmacist named Han Lik designed and invented the electronic cigarette. Lik’sfather, who died of lung cancer due to smoking tobacco cigarettes, led him to invent an electronic cigarette that would be void of the negative effects tobacco cigarettes has on smokers and the public. In 2007, the electronic cigarette found its way into the American market. Researchers have conducted an abundance of research on electronic cigarettes to prove it is helpful for smokers who want to quit smoking. Thesis Statement This research paper seeks to explore the electronic cigarette in relation to its composition, as a product smoking cessation, benefits and attributed criticism. In addition, the paper will offer an overall perception of the majority of the smokers on the advantage of the e-cigarette over the nicotine inhaler. The Electronic Cigarette An electronic cigarette consists of a LED light, battery, microprocessor, sensor, heater and a cartridge. The device is operated by the battery and the heater that heats the nicotine and other flavoring liquids. Unlike tobacco cigarettes, what comes out of an electronic cigarette is vapor, which is not considered harmful. Some people argue that electronic cigarettes are just as harmful as tobacco cigarettes, yet cannot prove why electronic cigarettes are thought to be harmful because electronic cigarettes actually contain fewer chemicals than a tobacco cigarette. Considering the contents of electronic cigarettes compared to tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes are safer to use, can serve as a substitute for tobacco cigarettes, and help people reduce or even quit smoking. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention, there are over 4,000 chemicals in tobacco cigarettes that are harmful to the human body (CDC, 2014). All chemicals in a tobacco cigarette are harmful to smokers and the community, causing disease such as lung cancer. Electronic cigarettes on other hand, “contain varying proportions of the nebulizers or carrier substance propylene glycol, glycerin and water, sometimes nicotine pharmacological agents, and various fragrances and aroma, ethyl acetate, and tabanon” (Nowak et al., 2014). The main substance in an electronic cigarette is nicotine. Nicotine has been used to help people quit smoking through various products, such as the nicotine inhaler, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The nicotine in an electronic cigarette can be regulated, and thus the amount can be reduced in regard to the consumer’s preferences. Unlike tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes produce vapor, which is less harmful than the smoke that comes from a tobacco cigarette. Therefore, people who smoke electronic cigarettes are not causing as much harm to themselves and the public. Electronic cigarettes generate vapor, unlike tobacco cigarettes, which generate smoke. The cartridge inside an electronic cigarette heats up the nicotine, which produces the vapor. There is no research to show that the vapor is harmful like the smoke from a tobacco cigarette. The smoke that comes out of tobacco cigarettes is very harmful to all human beings. By inhaling the smoke that comes out of a tobacco cigarette, one can develop lung cancer and other diseases that come with smoking, but data fails to show that vapor from electronic cigarettes can or has caused lung cancer or any other diseases. Electronic cigarettes produce vapor that is not harmful to the public. According to Cahn & Siegel (2011) “we would expect vaping to be less harmful than smoking as it delivers nicotine without the thousands of known and unknown toxicants in tobacco smoke” (19). Smoking an electronic cigarette will not be harmful to the public because all it produces is vapor, which is better than tobacco cigarettes because they have been known to cause various respiratory-related diseases. Product for Smoking Cessation Nicotine is a product that has been used by many people to quit smoking. According to Steinbrg et al. (2014), “nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) have well demonstrated safety and efficacy, and are the most commonly used tobacco dependence treatments” (). Nicotine replacement therapy is used to help tobacco smokers quit smoking. The most common product is the nicotine inhaler, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Recent advocates of the electronic cigarette have asked why the FDA and most therapists to help tobacco smokers quit smoking have approved the nicotine inhaler, yet the electronic cigarette has not received the same approval. Many claim this is due to the potential harmful chemicals and ingredients found in the electronic cigarette, specifically, the chemicals found in the vapor. However, reports from the FDA do not solidify these beliefs. The FDA reportedly, “struck a more ominous tone in its July 2009 press release warning of the presence of carcinogens at detectable levels. Yet it failed to mention that the levels of these carcinogens was similar to that in NRT products” (Cahn& Siegel, 2). The nicotine inhaler approved by the FDA, which is said to be safer and help people quit smoking, has the same amount of carcinogens as electronic cigarettes. Overall, the electronic cigarette has been found to be as helpful and less harmful, similar to the nicotine inhaler. Many smokers to help them quit smoking (Goniewicz, Lingas, &Hajek, 2013) have effectively and successfully used the electronic cigarette. The self-regulated nicotine present in an electronic cigarette helps the smoker to quit smoking by using a nicotine replacement therapy that is easily controlled by the user. Numerous researchers and tobacco and nicotine cessations experts have turned to the Internet to conduct qualitative studies on the perceived effectiveness of electronic cigarettes according to user. Goniewicz et al. (2013) conducted a large internet survey asking consumers various questions regarding their use of electronic cigarettes. An overwhelming majority of surveyed users reported that they believed electronic cigarettes were a much safer alternative to nicotine use than tobacco cigarettes. Consumers that had previously used other methods for smoking cessation, such as the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, and even prescription medication reported a greater success with electronic cigarettes. Many researchers contribute this to the real look and feel of the electronic cigarette to the tobacco cigarette. On a similar note, the electronic cigarettes which according to this study, utilizes vapor as opposed to the smoke that emanates from the normal cigarette brands, it is of fundamental significance to note that, it has an enormous advantage considering the complete combustion and the secondary victims, notably the passive smokers. In tobacco cigarettes, people who normally smoke have been scientifically proven to inhale considerably low levels of toxic substances in relation to the complete chemical combustion of nicotine (Goniewicz et al, 2013). Due to relatively low levels of oxygen in the mouth, the resultant effect is carbon atoms being expelled to the atmosphere in form of smoke, which on interaction with oxygen becomes more toxic to the passive smokers who actually inhale a larger percentage of tobacco constituents as compared to their active smokers’ counterparts. Thus, in this regard, tobacco cigarettes become more harmful, even to those who at their individual level do not participate in the smoking exercise (Goniewicz et al, 2013). This is therefore a sharp contrast when these realities are compared to the electronic cigarette, which simply emit vapor that cannot become such disastrous in the atmosphere. Thus, it is crucial to conclude on a cautionary note, to those who think otherwise concerning the effects of tobacco and electronic cigarette brands, and the scientific demystifications underlying them, and the recommendations from different quarters concerning the frantic efforts put forward to embrace electronic cigarettes as opposed to the ordinary problematic tobacco counterparts. As Goniewicz et al. (2013) points out, regardless of the scientific evidence presented as to why users find electronic cigarettes so successful as a...