Full Answer: What are the differences between electronic cigarettes and traditional cigarettes?

Nowadays, more and more consumers are starting to use electronic cigarettes, and many of them are switching from traditional cigarettes to electronic cigarettes. So what are the differences between electronic cigarettes and traditional cigarettes? Below, the editor will provide a detailed answer.

1. Different definitions

An electronic cigarette is an electronic product that mimics traditional cigarettes in appearance, smoke, taste, and feel. By heating the e-liquid, nicotine and other ingredients are converted into vapor for the user to inhale, achieving the purpose of replacing traditional cigarettes and quitting smoking.

A traditional cigarette is a rolled tobacco product with a diameter of about 10 mm and a length of about 70 mm, which is made by drying and shredding tobacco. One end is lit, and the other end is inhaled by the smoker. Traditional cigarettes were initially popular in Turkey, where people liked to roll tobacco and smoke it on newspapers.

2. Different main components

Although electronic cigarettes come in various forms, they usually consist of three parts: the battery, the atomizer, and the cartridge, as well as a charger. In addition, there are disposable electronic cigarettes that can be used immediately without charging and can be discarded after use. The main component of electronic cigarettes is e-liquid, which turns nicotine and other substances into vapor for the user to inhale through atomization. E-liquid is composed of vegetable glycerin (VG), propylene glycol (PG), flavorings, and nicotine.

Vegetable glycerin (VG) is a common drug and food additive used in desserts such as cakes and chocolates. It is harmless to the human body, and has no color or taste. Propylene glycol (PG) is used to reduce the viscosity of VG, and is a common drug and food additive that is generally safe for human consumption. The presence of flavorings allows for a variety of tastes in e-liquids, and is an important component of electronic cigarettes. Many foods we consume daily contain flavorings. Nicotine, on the other hand, can be metabolized by the human body, and the nicotine content in e-liquids can be adjusted as needed.

Cigarettes are mainly made from dried tobacco, which contains many substances in itself. After chemical processing, many additives are added to the tobacco. The smoke from a lit cigarette contains about 4,000 chemicals.

3. Different substances

In comparison to traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes do not contain harmful substances such as hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, tar, lead, carbon dioxide, arsenic, acrolein, mercury, benzene, and benzo(a)pyrene. The nicotine solution in e-cigarettes is aerosolized after heating in a vaporizer, and the aerosol is quickly diluted in the air, making it difficult to absorb low-density aerosols.

4. Different  usage

The usage of e-cigarettes involves heating the e-liquid in a vaporizer to produce vapor for inhalation, and the voltage and power of the vaporizer can be adjusted to achieve different tastes and amounts of vapor. Smoking involves lighting tobacco to produce smoke for inhalation.

In summary, there are differences between e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes in terms of definition, usage, main ingredients, and products. If choosing to use e-cigarettes, it is important to select appropriate devices and e-liquids, and to use them in moderation.