Ever wondered if e cigarettes are healthy? Probably not, you just assumed they were. If they weren't healthy, why would people smoke them? Sorry, Vape them.

That's what I find amusing about the recent surge in electric cigarette usage, including many companies giving them away for free, people generally make the switch from regular cigarettes to their liquid nicotine counterparts under the assumption that they are making the healthy choice.

Well, it might be a safe bet to say that they are healthier than real cigarettes, but what isn't? That doesn't mean they are harmless though, and they are far from healthy. Recently a research team from the University of Athens concluded some research that should deter many people away from vapor cigarettes and onto other means of quitting.

What Did They Find?

Well, they found that the water vapor inhaled from an "e ciggie" reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood, causing potential damage to the lungs. They also found that secondhand vapor, breathing in the vapor from somebody else's device, can have a similar affect, causing irritation to the throat, eyes, and lungs.

This confirms many health experts' fears that this new "healthy" option did not live up to the claims made by their manufacturers mainly due to the lack of research and regulation carried out. After all an e cigarette contains no tobacco, it uses liquid nicotine heated up to produce a vapor, so it does not fall under the stringent regulations of other tobacco products, and even the ingredients and chemicals present are not necessarily listed accurately. The FDA claimed that some test samples were found to have differing levels of nicotine within them, and even some other trace chemicals not listed. In their eyes, electric cigarettes should be registered as a "Drug-delivering device" and regulated much more heavily. This explains why in many countries they are banned altogether.

What else?

Apart from the recent findings, complaints about second hand vapor, FDA concerns, and relative lack of regulation, the electric cigarette is still an addictive and expensive gadget to use. It does nothing to reduce a nicotine addict's intake, and instead keeps them nicely addicted to the nicotine and having to buy more cartridges at a whopping price of $10 for one pack.

If you really do wish to quit smoking for good, and free yourself from addiction, then I think you should pursue other methods of quitting. If you would like to continue to feel the urge to smoke, have to pay through the nose for an addiction that can really be cured a lot more easily than you expect (and cheaply), then go ahead and try out the latest fashion craze, but just be warned that it is not all it is made out to be. Keep a pack of real cigarettes close to hand for when you realize you are wasting your time!