Tobacco has been around for thousands of years, dating back to ancient civilizations. The preferred method of receiving tobacco into the body includes chewing and smoking with a variety of smoking instruments. To date, cigarettes have been the most common way to smoke tobacco, with millions of Americans lighting up every year. In the last decade, however, there has been an alternative method introduced to the modern world. Electronic cigarettes made their debut a decade ago and they are gaining in popularity among the smoking crowd.
Similarities between Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes
Cigarettes and electronic cigarettes are very similar in look. Both have the same general appearance, coloring and shape. Whereas a cigarette lights up on the end with a smoldering tip, the e-cigarette has a glowing LED light to give it a similar appearance. Both lights flare up when the smoker inhales.
Differences between Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes
Although cigarettes and e-cigarettes are very similar in look, the mechanisms of the two are very different. To smoke a cigarette, a person lights up, subsequently causing the tobacco to burn. The person than inhales this smoke, bringing nicotine into the body. Alternatively, e-cigarettes do not contain smoke. Inside of the filter of an e-cigarette is a vaporization chamber with nicotine. When a smoker inhales, a reaction takes place that causes the nicotine to vaporize which is then inhaled.