Enlarge this image toggle caption It's become an emotional debate: Do e-cigarettes help people get off regular cigarettes or are they a new avenue for addiction?Until now, there has been little solid evidence to back up either side.But a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could help fill that void.E-cigarettes work by heating up a fluid that contains the drug nicotine, producing a vapor that users inhale.The CDC found that nearly 48 percent of current tobacco smokers said they had tried e-cigarettes at least once.Among those who recently quit smoking, more than 55 percent said they'd tried the devices.The survey of more than 36,000 U.S.adults marks the first time detailed federal data about e-cigarettes has become available, says Charlotte Schoenborn, a health statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics.The data were gathered as part of the National Health Interview Survey, an ongoing survey of a variety of health issues.Among those still using the devices when surveyed, almost 16 percent said they were still smoking tobacco cigarettes, Schoenborn says, while 22 percent had recently quit.

The study found that the devices are most popular among young adults, ages 18 to 24.Nearly 22 percent of adults who reported ever trying an e-cigarette fell into that age group.In addition, among the nonsmokers, nearly 10 percent of people in that age group had tried e-cigarettes."The use by young adult never-smokers, I think, certainly is noteworthy," Schoenborn says.She also found it significant that e-cigarettes are largely being used by current and former smokers.The survey did not ask smokers and ex-smokers whether e-cigarettes had helped them quit — only whether they had ever used the devices.The appeal of e-cigarettes to young people has raised fears that the devices may hook a new generation on nicotine and lead them to eventually start smoking tobacco.Shots - Health News Poll: Most Americans Support FDA Regulation Of E-Cigarettes "What this survey shows is young adults who have never smoked are picking up electronic cigarettes in truly alarming numbers," says Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Others worry that it remains far from clear how safe the devices are, and whether smokers are using e-cigarettes to quit, or just as a crutch to keep smoking."What we're seeing is that people are using e-cigarettes and smoking traditional cigarettes," says Erika Sward, assistant vice president for national advocacy at the American Lung Association."There is no evidence to suggest there are any health benefits associated with that," she says, "especially when they are continuing to use their regular cigarettes."The e-cigarette industry interprets the survey results very differently."This is great news for public health," says Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association."This is a report showing barely any use of e-cigarettes among nonsmokers, and great usage — significant usage — among recent former smokers as well as current cigarette smokers who need to use these products to quit."Conley says he thinks the data indicate many young nonsmokers experiment with the devices without getting hooked.

"E-cigarettes are something that people are willing to perhaps take a puff off of because it looks funny," he says."But it's not something that is creating nicotine dependency in those that did not previously have it."e cigarette overheatThe latest NPR-Truven Health Analytics Health Poll, released Monday, shows broad public support for regulation of e-cigarettes by the Food and Drug Administration.e cigarette nz aucklandSign Up Email or Username Password Show Remember me Forgot username?e cigarette setHaving trouble logging in?e cigarette smoke tricksSign up for a free account Get unlimited access on Medscape.forum ecigarette sx350

teen e-cigarette users have experimented with “dripping” — a new vaping method that produces thicker clouds of vapor, researchers report.Regular electronic cigarettes produce inhalable vapor by gradually drawing liquid into a heating coil through an automatic wick, explained lead researcher Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin.“Dripping” involves placing drops of e-liquid directly onto the exposed heating coil of an e-cigarette or atomizer, and then immediately inhaling the cloud of vapor produced, said Krishnan-Sarin, a professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.“They say it makes the flavors taste better and gives you a stronger hit,” Krishnan-Sarin said.She said she learned about the practice while talking with teenagers, and decided to ask about it in a survey on e-cigarette use among high school students.The survey revealed that 26 percent of student e-cigarette users at eight Connecticut high schools had tried dripping at least once.“I didn’t know what to expect,” Krishnan-Sarin said.boutique ecigarette 94

“We didn’t know what we would find, because we only had anecdotal evidence based on what kids were telling us.”Experts are concerned that “dripping” could expose users to increased levels of toxins and carcinogens created when the liquid in e-cigarettes is vaporized at high temperatures.Previous research has shown that “the levels of some chemicals like formaldehyde and other aldehydes, which are known carcinogens, are higher with direct dripping than with conventional e-cigarette use,” Krishnan-Sarin said.Dr.Karen Wilson, chief of general pediatrics for Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, said the stronger nicotine hit produced by dripping also could do harm to the developing brains of teenage users.“Adolescents should not be using nicotine at all,” Wilson said.“It changes the brain chemistry, and adolescents are uniquely susceptible to the addictive properties of nicotine.”Out of 7,045 high school students surveyed, almost 1,100 had used e-cigarettes, the researchers found.

One out of four e-cigarette users had tried dripping.Reasons the students gave for dripping included producing thicker clouds of vapor (64 percent), which suggests these users may engage in smoke tricks or vape competitions, the study authors said.Better flavor was the reason cited by nearly two out of five students who dripped, and simple curiosity attracted 22 percent.About 28 percent said the practice produces a stronger “throat hit,” or the feeling produced on the back of the throat during inhalation.White students overall and boys were more likely than others to have tried dripping, the researchers said.Krishnan-Sarin said more research is needed to figure out if dripping is something tried once or occasionally, or if kids regularly drip — a question not asked in the survey.Instructional guides and videos for dripping can be found on the Internet, the study authors said in background notes.Users can modify their e-cigarettes for dripping, or they can buy atomizers built specifically for dripping.“This is one of the reasons why teens seem to like these devices,” Krishnan-Sarin said.

“They like that they can do these novel things with them.”Paul Billings is senior vice president of advocacy for the American Lung Association.He said the new practice of dripping provides more evidence that federal regulation is needed for e-cigarette, saidThe U.S.Food and Drug Administration has announced its intention to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products, but hasn’t yet rolled out its new rules.“This points out why we need FDA providing oversight over these products and how they’re being used in the real world,” Billings said.“The FDA has asserted its authority, but now they need to move forward with product standards.”Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, responded to the study findings.“All vapor products, including those that do not contain nicotine, should be kept out of the hands of youth.Nonetheless, it is also important to keep the science in perspective,” he said.The study authors refer to “studies on emissions performed with machines, but ignore evidence that actual human vapers recognize aldehyde production very early in its formation and find it so intolerable that they will quickly take action to ensure that it does not continue,” he added.The study appears online Feb.