The vapor surrounding ‘e-cigs’

Electronic cigarettes, e-cigs, are gaining in popularity among people trying to quit smoking. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and doctors believe consumers don’t realize that e-cigs contain nicotine and other dangerous chemicals as well. What is an electronic cigarette? There are countless brands and flavors of e-cigs as companies try to broaden their appeal. They come in various shapes and forms, resembling an old fashioned cigarette, pens, USB flash drives, cigars, and pipes. They are battery operated and turn nicotine and other chemicals and flavors into a vapor that consumers inhale. One of the known ingredients in e-cigs is propylene glycol, which is found in medical products and everyday items such as toothpaste and lotions. Although e-cigs were introduced to the U.S. market in 2007, the first patent of a smokeless non-tobacco cigarette was obtained in 1963 by Herbert A. Gilbert. In 2003, the cigarettes became popular in China when pharmacist Hon Lik promoted them through his company, Ruyan, which means “resembling smoking.” Banned In 2009, the FDA began to stop shipments of electronic cigarettes from entering the country, requiring they be formally registered. The ban was later lifted, allowing shipments back into the U.S.

Stars of the movie industry have made style statements onscreen

For several decades the stars of the movie industry have made style statements onscreen with the branded cigarettes held in their hands. The charm, the appeal they exuded was simply fabulous. The heroes even had their own style of holding and smoking and they stylized the act of smoking to a great extent. If you are awe struck by that you might have taken to smoking to exude the same kind of style and heroism.. Whatever your reason for resorting to the puff is, you have considered it to be your trusted friend for many years. During your university examinations you had to stay awake and study for several nights together. When you and your classmates used to sit down for group study session or when you were all by yourself; your favorite brand of cigarette kept you awake and going. Even before your job interviews you had to smoke to gain confidence and soothe your nerves. So, your preferred brands of cigars or cigarettes or tobacco had been by your side in all occasions..

Hookah Smoking No Less Harmful Than Cigarettes, Study Finds

The toxins in hookah smoke may be different from that of cigarette smoke, but that doesn't make it any less harmful, according to a new study.

In fact, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, found that urine levels of benzene byproduct -- linked with higher leukemia risk -- and breath levels of carbon monoxide levels -- which are particularly bad for people with heart risks -- were higher after smoking hookah (a water pipe), compared with smoking cigarettes. The new findings are published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

"People want to know if it is a lesser health risk if they switch from cigarettes to smoking a water pipe on a daily basis," study researcher Peyton Jacob III, Ph.D., a research chemist at the university who is based at the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, said in a statement. "We found that water-pipe smoking is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking, nor is it likely to be an effective harm-reduction strategy."

Researchers analyzed toxins inhaled by eight men and five women, who had all smoked cigarettes and hookah before. For the study, the participants smoked an average of 11 cigarettes a day or three water pipe sessions a day.

Pregnant women are not the only smokers – tests are not the answer

The Royal College of Midwives has backed NHS guidelines to ask pregnant women to take breath tests to prove if they smoke. While the effects of smoking while pregnant can be devastating for mother and foetus, and education and quitting services should, of course, be readily available to pregnant smokers, the introduction of breath tests feeds into a culture that fails to respect the autonomy of pregnant bodies. Cigarettes.

Testing pregnant women to see if they smoke is a myopic solution to a wider social problem, to cycles of addiction tied up in class and family structures. But focusing on the pregnant woman rather than social and economic context is no new thing.

We like to frame things in terms of individual choice – it makes them tidier, simpler, and easier to relinquish responsibility for. Look at that pregnant slattern – puffing away. She is choosing to engage in behaviour that will harm her child. It is disgusting. She ought to be locked up. It has nothing to do with me.

Another reason we focus on the pregnant body rather than on social context is that pregnancy brings the unhealthy

Driver with marijuana cigarette crashes into Yeadon fire department, police say

Police say a driver was under the influence when he crashed into the Yeadon Borough Hall in Delaware County Monday night. Police say the vehicle crashed into a wall next to the fire department at 600 South Church Lane around 10:50 p.m. Monday. According to police, not only was the driver under the influence, but he also had a marijuana cigarette behind his ear. He was transported to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for treatment. Police say he will be charged with various offenses.