While electronic cigarettes may seem like a completely new technology in the US, this electrical gadget has actually been around for a few years. Invented by Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist, in 2003, e-cigarettes were introduced to the public a year later and the company who owned the original device began export around 2005. In 2006, e-cigs were introduced in Europe and the States followed suit shortly after that.

There has been some controversy over the safety and health risks associated with e-cigarettes, as they’re commonly called, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who wanted to classify the technology as a drug delivery device, lost its case in 2010, opening the door for the manufacture and marketing of e-cigarettes in the USA.

If you haven’t seen the TV commercials yet, an electronic cigarette is an electrical device that is designed to simulate the act of smoking. The mist created by e-cigs is a propylene glycol- or glycerin-based liquid vapor that is inhaled like typical cigarette smoke but without the nearly 3,000 carcinogens found in traditional cigarettes.

Working much like a humidifier or nebulizer, the device uses heat or ultrasonics to create the appearance, sensation, and even the flavor of nicotine through this vaporized mist that is then absorbed into the body through membranes in the mouth and lungs.

The initial purpose for electronic cigarettes was to help users stop smoking. Even though the experience is much like smoking a regular cigarette, the adverse health effects typically associated with tobacco smoke have been removed, though due to the nicotine, e-cigs should still be kept away from children, who are attracted by the novelty of the device.

Researchers and health organizations have varying opinions on the validity and success of electronic cigarettes, especially as a tool for smoking cessation. But the million of users worldwide tend to override the validity of the concerns and controversy.

New e-smokers are coming on board at an exceptionally high rate, with tens of thousands dropping the tobacco habit and picking up an e-pack every week. While the FDA does regulate smokeless electronic cigarettes as a tobacco product, they have dropped their suits to have them classified as drug-delivery devices, thereby eliminating the stricter regulations associated with those units.

Most e-cigarettes look much like actual cigarettes, but there are also those styled to resemble cigars or pipes. Some even look like screwdrivers or ballpoint pens because of the ease in placing the electrical mechanisms into such a design. They are typically reusable, using refillable and replaceable parts, though some manufacturers also create disposable models for those who prefer them.

Whatever the future holds for electronic cigarettes is yet to be seen, but this is much more than a passing fad as some have been led to believe. E-cigarettes may offer the impetus for thousands of smokers to give up the “cancer sticks” in favor of an apparently healthier option for nicotine delivery.