E-cigarettes: promise or peril?

Carol A Riker; Kiyoung Lee; Audrey Darville; Ellen J Hahn

doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2011.10.002

E-cigarettes: promise or peril?

Nurs Clin North Am. 2012 Mar;47(1):159-71. doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2011.10.002.

Authors

Carol A Riker¹, Kiyoung Lee, Audrey Darville, Ellen J Hahn

Affiliation

¹ Tobacco Policy Research Program, Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy, University of Kentucky College of Nursing, 751 Rose Street, Lexington, KY 40536-0232, USA. riker@email.uky.edu

PMID: 22289406
DOI: 10.1016/j.cnur.2011.10.002

Abstract

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) use a heating element to vaporize nicotine and other ingredients, simulating the visual, sensory, and behavioral aspects of smoking without the combustion of tobacco. An ever-growing number of companies around the world manufacture a wide variety of e-cigarette brands, despite scant information on the safety of the ingredients for human inhalation. This article provides an overview of the history, production, and marketing of e-cigarettes, the contents of e-cigarettes and vapor, how they are used, public health concerns, and implications for nursing practice, research, and policy development.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Electrical Equipment and Supplies*
Harm Reduction
Humans
Smoking Cessation
Tobacco, Smokeless* / adverse effects
Tobacco, Smokeless* / chemistry
United States