The smoking of tobacco products, particularly cigarettes, has proven to be one of the most pervasive and unambiguously harmful habits humans have developed in the last centuries, shortening countless lives and costing individuals and the public dearly in healthcare costs. While research on the effects of nicotine, tar and other carcinogens inhaled and absorbed from the smoking of tobacco are still ongoing, the detrimental health effects for both the smoker and those exposed to second-hand smoke is now well-established, well-publicized and generally accepted. As evidence of the harmful effects of smoking mounts and the stigma of smoking increases, cigarettes have been made more expensive through heavy taxation, less appealing with many countries adopting packaging laws, and harder to smoke in public places as the list of restrictions grows. All of these effects have led smokers to seek out alternatives designed to act as replacements or transitional aides to help …show more content…
The isolation of nicotine from tar and other carcinogens exclusive to tobacco are giving researchers greater insight into the effects of nicotine, and the more we learn about nicotine, the more we are aware of its harmful effects which are certainly present in e-cigarettes. The second category is uncovering harmful effects of those substances exclusive to e-cigarettes, particularly the chemical cocktails designed to facilitate atomization, counteract the bitter flavor of nicotine and create the other e-cigarette flavors. While it seems fairly clear that this chemical cocktail is not as harmful as the effects of burning tobacco, research is increasingly showing that it is far from harmless and presents its own set of detrimental health effects. The new findings about the effects of nicotine are also helping to level the field in terms of demonstrating how harmful it can be, regardless of the delivery