What’s an E-Cigarette?

The electronic cigarette, introduced to the U.S. market in 2007, is an increasingly popular alternative to smoking tobacco for nicotine intake.
From the outside, most e-cigarettes look like regular cigarettes, but the inside is very different: E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco. Also, they do not need to be lit by fire. They are battery operated, and a mechanism vaporizes a liquid formula, which includes nicotine, when the smoker inhales.
Manufacturers report many advantages of e-cigarettes, but regulatory agencies and some health experts are unsure. The hundreds of companies in the United States that make and sell e-cigarettes often do not make specific health or safety claims. The FDA and other health experts are concerned that the side effects of inhaling pure nicotine have not yet been sufficiently studied.

Anti-smoking battle moves outdoors; bans increase

First it was bars, restaurants and office buildings. Now the front lines of the "No Smoking" battle have moved outdoors.
City parks, public beaches, college campuses and other outdoor venues across the country are putting up signs telling smokers they can't light up. Outdoor smoking bans have nearly doubled in the last five years, with the tally now at nearly 2,600 and more are in the works.
But some experts question the main rationale for the bans, saying there's not good medical evidence that cigarette smoke outdoors can harm the health of children and other passers-by.
Whether it is a long-term health issue for a lot of people "is still up in the air," said Neil Klepeis, a Stanford University researcher whose work is cited by advocates of outdoor bans. Bomond cigarettes.