Electronic cigarettes (also called e-cigarettes) are marketed as a safer alternative to conventional tobacco products, such as cigarettes. They are sometimes even marketed as a tool to help you break free from a smoking addiction. Are these claims true? Can e-cigarettes help you quit while still allowing you to smoke?

What Is an Electronic Cigarette?

E-cigarettes look similar to conventional cigarettes but they use battery power to vaporize a small amount of liquid nicotine solution that comes from replaceable cartridges. The user inhales what feels and tastes like cigarette smoke, but since there is no combustion, there is no actual smoke (only warm water vapor and nicotine).

Proponents of electronic cigarettes say that while smoking tobacco subjects the user to up to 4,000 different toxins released through combustion, electronic cigarettes deliver only nicotine, without the harmful byproducts.

E-cigarette merchants claim that the product is a healthier alternative to smoking, and some advertise that electronic cigarettes can help people to quit smoking entirely.

Are There Any Health Risks?

Although sellers of e-cigarettes boast of the health benefits of a switch from conventional tobacco to electronic cigarettes, public health experts are wary to endorse this smoking alternative.

A recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) test for carcinogens in e-cigarettes has validated their caution. The FDA tested two of the most popular brands of electronic cigarettes and found a toxic chemical used in antifreeze (diethylene glycol) in one sample, and nitrosamines and other carcinogens in other samples.

Very little controlled scientific study has been performed on electronic cigarettes, so scientists cannot say with certainty what health risks they pose. But the finding of carcinogens in the vaporized nicotine indicates the probability of long-term harm from their use.

Other concerns raised by health experts include the following:

• Electronic cigarettes could cause nicotine poisoning.
• Marketing practices, such as adding chocolate or mint flavorings to the vapor, seem to target teens and children.
• People who do not smoke tobacco may become nicotine-dependent after using these “safer” cigarettes.

Because they are unregulated products, electronic cigarettes do not need to display product health warnings (as cigarettes and other tobacco products do) that caution consumers about any potential dangers or health risks.

Do E-Cigarettes Help People Quit Smoking?

Although some electronic cigarette merchants advertise their product as a smoking cessation aid, no studies exist to validate this claim. Electronic cigarettes may or may not help people quit, depending on the person.

Do Public Health Organizations Recommend Their Use?

• The FDA has warned consumers about the potential risks of electronic cigarettes.
• The World Health Organization has asked electronic cigarette marketers to refrain from claiming that electronic cigarettes work well as a nicotine replacement system for smokers looking to quit.
• Health Canada advises against the products, citing nicotine poisoning and addiction risks.

What Are Some Better Alternatives?

Since electronic cigarettes remain unproven in helping people quit smoking and may put users at risk of short- and long-term health risks, they are not a recommended smoking cessation aid.

Products that have proven safe and effective in helping people break free from nicotine are nicotine replacement delivery systems, such as the following:

• Nicotine chewing gum
• Nicotine patches
• Nicotine lozenges
• Nicotine inhalers
• Nicotine nasal sprays

These products slowly deliver nicotine and can reduce the cravings and withdrawal symptoms of the initial period of abstinence. These products are safe and clinically tested to be effective in helping people quit – and are currently a far preferable alternative to untested and potentially dangerous electronic cigarettes.

Certain medications can also help to reduce cravings and curb withdrawal symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal. Medications approved by the FDA for use with helping people quit smoking include the following:

• Varenicline (Chantix)
• Bupropion (Zyban)

For the best chance of success, combine medication or a nicotine replacement product (such as the patch) with counseling or participation in a support group.