abifae said:
Very true. I think my shock is that people didn't realize they were likely to be more dangerous than cigs.
What is your source that they are more dangerous than cigs??? I really want to know because I am using them to break my lifelong smoking habit!!!
For those who don't know about them, they consist of a rechargable battery about the size of the white part of a filter cig. This screws into a tiny heater in the front part of what would be the filter. this heats a small amount of nicotine solution absorbed on tea bag type fiber near the mouth (but is not usually hot to the lips) they come in manual where you hold in a button to turn on the heater and an auto where the act of sucking turns on the heater.(It is like trying to suck a very thick milk shake through a straw, not an easy draw as a cig is. Nicotine is not soluble in water, so food grade glycerine or Propylene Glycol is used for the nicotine solution. Both of these produce a smoke when heated. and are what are used to produce smoke for stage shows or R&R bands. These came to us from China (what doesn't?) the China nicotine solutions had many of the chemicals usually found in cigs in order to produce the tobacco flavor. It was found that they were using anything they could think of for flavor. So both the UK and the US started to produce their own nicotine solution without all the junk.
I and many others will not buy the china solutions anymore now that clean solutions can be had. What I buy is nicotine (USP) in USP, non animal, organic, glycerine. Since I cut and make my own flavors (nobody outside of china produces a solution that really tastes like tobacco) I also buy pure USP non animal organic glycerine to do dulutions. Flavors are got from first world suppliers that produce them for candy or cooking. As I sit here thinking what to write next I will take aa puff of a choc. mint that I mixed myself while my spare battery is recharging in the UBS port of my computer. Many premixed flavor solutions are available, usually in 5 nicotine strengths, 24 (like a full strength cig) 18 (like a "light"cig) 12 (no cig is that low) 6 and 0. I switched from 12 to 6 Feb1 and hope to switch to 0 (nicotine free at last, free at last!) March 1st.
I have tried most methods of quiting including nicotine gum and patches (doc will not prescribe the new drugs does not like the side effects) The problem was what to do with my hands, The hands have a mind of their own and 50 years of lighting up become a habit for the hands. (Infact I have ruined two batteries because my hands tried to light them up LOL!) I have put all my lighters away for use only when I want fire. Now when I want to puff my hands will screw down the battery(kept unscrewed for safety) and hold the button on my manual e-cig(also safety I once had a auto start smoking itself because a fan was blowing on it)
As I said I mix my own which I don't recommend, pure nicotine is a deadly poision. I am a trained Chemist and wear all the safety equipment when mixing. The nicotine solution I buy is highly diluted but could make one ill if they got too much on the skin. I spent about $40 for my gear and chemicals Vs the $200/month I used to spend on tobacco and taxes.
One of the reasons they are trying to ban these things is because they can deliver other drugs than nicotine.... ~gd