How does e-cigarette work

Under the name “electronic cigarette” are summarized all those devices, e-cigarettes, e-hookahs, and vaporizers, equipped with batteries that heat and vaporize a liquid solution flavoured, containing or not nicotine, to inhale. But how do electronic cigarettes work and what are the most common types?

Electronic cigarettes have very variable shapes and sizes: some look like real cigarettes, others are a little larger than a USB pen, and others still resemble pens, pipes or mouthpieces of another time. The operation of each of these products is based on some shared components and features.

In all cases, the electronic cigarette is conceived as a substitute for the normal cigarette, to eradicate smoking and especially the combustion of potentially carcinogenic substances that are generated in the process of burning tobacco.

Electronic cigarette how it works

The electronic cigarette consists of:

• A tip or mouthpiece or spout: it is the end where the mouth rests to suck in the steam. The drip tip has different shapes, materials and performances since it determines the quantity, density and temperature of the sucked vapour. There are two main types: the cheek shot, with a smaller hole, and the lungs shot, slightly larger.
• A sensor activates the heating of the liquid when the user aspirates from the mouthpiece.
• An atomizer is a device that physically transforms the liquid into vapour. There are different types of atomizers, with regenerable or non-regenerable tanks, regenerable dripping or a bottom feeder.
• A resistor: is composed of resistive threads, immersed in cotton or wick. When the battery of the electronic cigarette is activated, the resistance heats up so that the process of vaporization of the liquid can be carried out.
• A battery: is the source of electricity needed to put the atomizer into operation. Typically these are rechargeable, ion or lithium polymer batteries. Some types of batteries have a shorter life cycle, especially if they are built-in batteries, and after a few hundred recharges they need to be replaced. The mods can be fitted with large batteries to ensure greater vaping power. The charging mode usually takes place via a USB cable.
• A tank or tank: this is where the liquid to be vaporized is inserted. With different shapes, shapes and colours, the tanks have a structure that allows the air to circulate inside them, without the liquid contained being able to escape.
• One solution: is for the e-liquid or e-juice to be vaporized. Mainly based on glycol propylene, it can have different aromas and may or may not contain nicotine.

How to use

The act of vaping is simple: the battery of the electronic cigarette is turned on by pressing the appropriate button, which begins to provide the energy necessary for the heating elements to heat up.

When the ideal temperature is reached, the vape begins to “pull” through the mouthpiece. At the same time, the atomizer transforms the e-liquid into steam and transmits it to the mouth opening, from which it can be sucked freely.

Characteristics of the electronic cigarette

There is no fire, no ash, or the smell of smoke: all electronic cigarettes produce a vapour obtained by heating a liquid that contains nicotine, aromas and other chemicals such as propylene glycol useful for their transformation into aerosols.

This characteristic is advantageous compared to the consumption of traditional cigarettes because it does not generate any type of combustion, reducing the contribution of carcinogenic substances derived from the burning of tobacco. This does not mean that electronic cigarettes are free of risks: the contents of liquids and the act of inhaling their vapour can damage the respiratory system.

Unlike ordinary cigarettes, the user can independently decide the taste and taste of the liquid to be vaporized, deciding whether to add a variable amount of nicotine, until it is eliminated.

Although on trains, planes and other prohibited areas, the electronic cigarette can be used anywhere, even indoors, as the steam generated is considered harmless to other people.

In the world of vapes are called in many ways, mostly borrowed from English terms: e-cigs, vape pens or simply vapes, ENDS. There are also so-called mods, that is, electronic cigarettes equipped with a tank or tank rather large compared to the slimmer and slender e-cigs.

Electronic cigarette and health

The use of electronic cigarettes, first hailed as the healthy alternative to cigarette smoking, is at the heart of ongoing research and investigation into its toxicity and carcinogenic risk.

As we have said, vaping does not involve combustion and therefore the release of potentially carcinogenic toxins into the body, even if some chemical compounds behind the steam generated by the electronic cigarette represent a health hazard, such as propylene glycol and diacetyl.