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Electronic cigarettes have grown in popularity since they arrived on the U.S. market in 2007. Also called e-cigarettes, e-cigs, e-smokes and vapes, they simulate cigarette smoking without the smell and the smoke.

Marketing campaigns have suggested that e-cigarettes are less hazardous to your health than smoking cigarettes, but the devices' long-term effects on health have not been studied. However, they may take less of a toll on your wallet.

NerdWallet compared e-cigarettes to regular tobacco cigarettes to weigh the pros and cons of vaping.

What are e-cigarettes?

E-cigs are devices that give you the sensation of smoking, including some nicotine, without the odor. There are two main types of e-cigarettes. Disposable e-cigs run on a built-in battery and come as one, single piece. Rechargeable e-cigs have batteries, chargers, e-liquid, cartridges and an atomizer. Some brands combine the cartridge and atomizer into one part, called a cartomizer or clearomizer. The liquid is sometimes combined with the battery or cartridge.

Both disposable and rechargeable vapes use a liquid containing water, nicotine, flavoring and glycerin or propylene glycol, as well as other chemicals. When a drag is taken from the e-cig, the liquid is converted into vapor, drawn into the lungs and exhaled. The vapor and smell disappear into the air within a few seconds.

Why are so many people vaping now?

Vapes are becoming more popular. With more than 460 brands available online, they're also sold in convenience stores and supermarkets. When e-cigs first hit the market in 2007 there was little awareness of electronic nicotine. According to a Consumer Style survey, about one-third of adults were aware of e-cigarettes by 2010. In fact, four times as many adults surveyed had tried them at least once as compared to a similar survey from 2009.

What makes e-cigs more attractive?

E-cigarettes are now offered in about 7,000 flavors, ranging from the comforting essence of apple pie to the exotic style of tiger's blood. Tobacco and menthol tobacco flavors are available if you want to mimic the taste or sensation of smoking cigarettes. In contrast, tobacco cigarettes are available in two flavors in the U.S., regular and menthol.

Vapes present fewer concerns about breaking smoking laws in public places, but there are other factors to consider. Manufacturers and distributors are marketing e-cigs as a positive alternative to smoking cigarettes because they're cheaper, cleaner and can be smoked anywhere. Many also link vaping with quitting smoking.

Does vaping help you quit smoking?

Nicotine is an addictive substance that occurs naturally in tobacco. E-cigarette manufacturers offer products with varying levels of nicotine, including some with no nicotine. A study conducted in New Zealand found e-cigarettes to be slightly more effective than nicotine patches in helping participants quit. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, no e-cigs have been approved as therapeutic devices to help people quit smoking. The Food and Drug Administration recently added e-cigarettes to its list of items it wants to regulate, but it's not clear whether this will happen.

Are e-cigs healthier than regular cigarettes?

Tobacco is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While e-cigarettes are touted by some manufacturers as alternatives to tobacco use, they haven't been available long enough for a long-term study on health effects.

Vapor from e-cigarettes contains some toxic substances, but a study in 2013 that tested a dozen brands of e-cigs found the toxicity levels were between nine and 450 times lower than regular cigarette smoke.

How does the cost of e-cigarettes compare to tobacco cigarettes?

E-cigs are much cheaper than tobacco cigarettes. A regular cigarette offers about 10 puffs in five to 10 minutes, and each pack has 20 cigarettes. The number of puffs that can be taken continuously with e-cigs varies. Vaping cartridges that last about 200 puffs are equivalent to about one pack of cigarettes. The cost of e-cigarettes versus regular tobacco cigarettes depends on how much and how long you smoke. The type of e-cigarette you buy greatly affects the cost.

The average cost of a pack of cigarettes in the U.S. is $7.04. That's $2,569.60 per year for a pack-a-day smoker.

Disposable vapes cost more per cartridge, but there's no charger, battery or e-liquid to buy and replenish. They run about $9 or $10 per e-cigarette. At an average of $9.50 apiece and an equivalent of 2.5 packs of smokes, they cost about $1,387 per year.

Rechargeable starter kits are initially more expensive and vary widely in price. One vendor's prices range from $25 to $145, for example.

The yearly expense for a rechargeable e-cigarette for a converted pack-a-day smoker is about $2.66 per cartridge, or $605 per year. That comes out to about 227 cartridges per year.

You can buy liquid refills for a kit instead at about $43 per month, or $516 per year, for a pack-a-day equivalent.

While there's little scientific data showing whether e-cigs are less harmful, they don't have the immediate health concerns of tobacco cigarettes. Vapes are less expensive, whether you buy the disposable or rechargeable kind. E-cigs are an option if you want to try to quit smoking, but the long-term effects of health benefits and hazards are still unknown.
E-cigarette photo via Shutterstock.

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Are E-Cigarettes Any Better Than Smoking? - NerdWallet

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Electronic cigarettes have grown in popularity since they arrived on the U.S. market in 2007. Also called e-cigarettes, e-cigs, e-smokes and vapes, they simulate cigarette smoking without the smell and the smoke. Marketing campaigns have suggested that e-cigarettes are less hazardous to your health than smoking cigarettes, but the devices' long-term effects on health have not been studied.

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Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)—A variety of formulations of nicotine NRTs are available over the counter—including the transdermal patch, spray, gum, and lozenges—and are equally effective for cessation. NRTs stimulate the brain receptors targeted by nicotine, helping relieve nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings that lead to relapse

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Walmart Inc. announced on Wednesday that it would be raising the minimum age for buying the products on July 1, making it the latest retailer to make changes regarding tobacco sales to minors. Walmart’s move comes after a letter from the Food and Drug Administration last month that requested it to submit a plan to end illegal tobacco sales to minors

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The average cost of a pack of cigarettes is $6.28, which means a pack-a-day habit sets you back $188 per month or $2,292 per year

If we take the national average of $6.50 per pack and calculate for a pack a day habit, a smoker is looking at spending around $2,375 annually. The equivalent amount of e-liquid per year would cost around $480.

If we take the national average of $6.50 per pack and calculate for a pack a day habit, a smoker is looking at spending around $2,375 annually. The equivalent amount of e-liquid per year would cost around $480

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Cigarettes have an average cost of $5.51 with the price in most states being between six and eight dollars.

The Juul starter kit costs $49.99. After that, it costs$15.99 for a pack of four flavored liquid cartridges called pods, which are 5 percent nicotine.

The average cost of a vape is about $20-40 depending on which style you choose

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Nicotine (the addictive drug that produces the effect people are looking for and one of the harshest chemicals in tobacco smoke)

Hydrogen cyanide

Formaldehyde

Lead

Arsenic

Ammonia

Radioactive elements, such as uranium (see below)

Benzene

Carbon monoxide

Nitrosamines

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

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Dental disease. The sugar and irritants in smokeless tobacco products can cause cavities, abrasion of teeth, teeth staining, bad breath, gum disease, receding gums, bone loss around roots and tooth loss.

Pregnancy risk. Studies have shown that the use of smokeless tobacco, including Swedish snus, may increase the risk of stillbirths, low birth weight and heart rate variability in infants.

Poison risk for children. The candy-like appearance or flavors of smokeless tobacco products make them attractive to children.

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Low doses may cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and eye irritation.

High doses of nicotine may cause tachycardia, high blood pressure, seizures, coma, and death.

The proportion of calls to poison centers increased from 0.3% in 2010 to 41.7% as of February 2014. They can poison you

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Even though e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, they still hold plenty of nicotine, and can cause many of the same nicotine-related heart problems as regular smokes

in some e-cigarettes can also irritate the eyes, throat, and nose. Additionally, the researchers noted that propylene glycol causes irritation in the eyes and respiratory tract, and eventually can harm the central nervous system and spleen

Like any drug, consuming too much nicotine can be toxic, and Dr. Fiore says that swallowing nicotine in its concentrated, liquid form puts consumers at an elevated risk of overdosing.

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Smokers have an increased chance of getting stomach cancer or ulcers. Smoking can weaken the muscle that controls the lower end of your gullet (oesophagus) and allow acid from the stomach to travel in the wrong direction back up your gullet, a process known as reflux.

Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to your skin. This means that if you smoke, your skin ages more quickly and looks grey and dull. The toxins in your body also cause cellulite.

Smoking can cause your bones to become weak and brittle. Women need to be especially careful as they are more likely to suffer from brittle bones (osteoporosis) than non-smokers.

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More nicotine is absorbed by chewing tobacco use that by smoking a cigarette

Chewing tobacco use is a risk factor for the development of oral cancers and precancers

Products that are designed to help smokers quit can also be used to help quit chewing tobacco use.

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Vape liquid can have up to 5 times as much nicotine as regular cigarettes

The primary ingredient in vape liquid turns into formaldehyde, a known cause of cancer, when it’s heated

Every month, in the U.S., more than 100 children less than 6 years old are poisoned from ingesting vaping liquid

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3 facts about juul(Part of the 9 facts) 

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3 facts about juul(Part of the 9 facts) 

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One JUUL pod contains 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine.

Almost one-fifth of middle and high school students have seen JUUL used in school.

nearly three quarters — 74 percent — of youth said that they obtained JUUL at a store or retail outlet.  Just over half — 52 percent — reported that they received JUUL from a social source, such as a friend or family member. Although the internet was not the most common way youth obtained JUUL — only 6 percent reported that they received the product through an online transaction

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3 facts about e-cigarettes(part of the 9 facts) 

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3 facts about e-cigarettes(part of the 9 facts) 

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E-cigarette use among both youth and young adults has increased considerably in recent years. About one-quarter of U.S. youth and young adults have ever tried e-cigarettes.

68% of e-cigarette users in high school use flavors like menthol alcohol, candy, fruit, chocolate, sweets

More than 6 of 10 youth believe that occasional use of e-cigarettes causes only little or some harm.

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More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking.

For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness.

Smoking is a known cause of erectile dysfunction in males.

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https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/getthefacts.html

https://truthinitiative.org/news/6-important-facts-about-juul

https://www.whattoexpect.com/wom/family/0609/scariest-facts-about-e-cigarettes-and-vaping-that-parents-should-know

https://www.medicinenet.com/smokeless_tobacco/article.htm#what_is_chewing_tobacco

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm

https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree/why-quit/smoking-health-problems

https://www.medicinenet.com/e-cigarettes_vs_cigarettes/article.htm#do_e-cigarettes_expel_secondhand_smoke

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/in-depth/chewing-tobacco/art-20047428

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/tobacco-and-cancer/carcinogens-found-in-tobacco-products.html

http://fairreporters.net/health/prices-of-cigarettes-by-state/

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/health/2018/09/12/fda-cracks-down-juul-e-cigarettes-what-parents-should-know-vaping-epidemic-kids-nicotine-dangers/1278519002/

https://www.vapewild.com/blog/how-much-does-a-vape-cost-the-cost-of-getting-started/

https://www.thebalance.com/how-much-money-does-smoking-cost-you-4143324

https://lotolabs.com/how-much-money-could-you-save-by-switching-to-vaping-a-realistic-approach