Because of the relative novelty of the technology and the possible relationship to tobacco laws and medical drug policies, electronic cigarette legislation and public health investigations are currently pending in many countries.

* In Australia, the sale of electronic cigarettes containing nicotine is illegal.
* In Brazil electronic cigarettes sales, importation or advertisement of any kind are forbidden. Anvisa, the Brazilian health and sanitation federal agency, found the current health safety assessments about e-cigarettes not to be yet satisfactory to make the product eligible to be approved for commercialization.
* In Canada, as of March 2009, imports, sales, and advertising are banned. In March 2009, Health Canada also advised Canadians not to purchase or use any electronic smoking products. Health Canada cited the Food and Drugs Act, stating that electronic smoking products containing nicotine require market authorization before they can be imported, marketed, or sold. No market authorization has been granted for any electronic smoking product.
* In Denmark, the Danish Medicines Agency classifies electronic cigarettes containing nicotine as medicinal products. Thus, authorization is required from the retailer before the product may be marketed and sold. The agency has clarified, however, that electronic cigarettes that do not administer nicotine to the user, and are not otherwise used for the prevention or treatment of disease, are not considered medicinal devices. The use of electronic cigarettes has not been prohibited in Copenhagen Airport, but at least one airline (Scandinavian Airlines) has decided to ban their use on board flights.
* In Netherlands, use and sale of electronic cigarettes is allowed, but advertising is forbidden pending European Union legislation.
* In New Zealand, the Ministry of Health has ruled that the Ruyan e-cigarette falls under the requirements of the Medicines Act, and cannot be sold except as a registered medicine.
* In Panama, importation, distribution and sale has been prohibited since June 2009. The Ministry of Health cites the FDA findings as their reason for the ban.[26]
* In Singapore, the sale and import of electronic cigarettes, even for personal consumption, is illegal.[27]
* In United Kingdom, use and sale of electronic cigarettes is currently unrestricted, although the MHRA has proposed bringing all nicotine products except tobacco within the medicines licensing regime.[28]

European Union

Directive 2001/95/EC(6) on general product safety applies in so far as there are no specific provisions with the same objective in other EC law. This directive provides for restrictive or preventive measures to be taken if the product is found to be dangerous to the health and safety of consumers.

Whether ecigs could be regarded as falling under Directive 93/42/EEC on medical devices depends on the claimed intended use and whether this intended use has a medical purpose. ”It is for each national authority to decide, account being taken of all the characteristics of the product, whether it falls within the definition of a medicinal product by its function or presentation.“

Electronic cigarettes may fall under the definition of a medicinal product laid down in Directive 2001/83/EC, either if the product is presented as a remedy against nicotine addiction or if it is qualified as restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions.

United States

As of November 2009, use is unrestricted, however some imports are being seized. The FDA considers e-cigarettes to be a nicotine delivery system, subject to its approval.

However, in January 2010, federal judge Richard J. Leon ordered the FDA to stop blocking the importation of electronic cigarettes from China, and indicated that the devices should be regulated as tobacco products, rather than drug or medical devices: “[...] With the passage of landmark tobacco legislation last year, the FDA’s new tobacco division will be able to regulate the contents and marketing claims of e-cigarettes, in the same way it is about to begin regulating traditional tobacco products. But the agency’s drug division cannot ban the devices [...]“. Richards mentioned in his reasoning that e-cigarettes were not marketed as medical devices to help smokers quit, as FDA had argued, but rather as safer substitutes to give users the “nicotine hit that smokers crave”.In February 2010, the FDA began an appeal of the ruling in a federal appeals court in Washington.

* In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger voted a bill that would have banned sales, stating “[...] If adults want to purchase and consume these products with an understanding of the associated health risks, they should be able to do so [...]“.

* In New Jersey, legislators have started work on a proposal to ban the use of electronic cigarettes in all “no smoking areas” of the state.[35]

Food and Drug Administration (USA)

In May 2009, the US FDA’s Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis tested the contents of cartridges by two vendors. Trace amounts (detectable, but not measurable) of diethylene glycol (also found in cigarette smoke) were found in one of the eighteen cartridges. In addition, tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) were detected in some of the cartridges tested which used tobacco flavoring. Further concerns were raised over inconsistent amounts of nicotine delivered when drawing on the device. In July 2009, the FDA issued a press release discouraging the use of electronic cigarettes and repeating previously stated concerns that electronic cigarettes may be marketed to young people and lack appropriate health warnings.

The FDA’s May 2009 study was reviewed in July 2009 by scientific consulting firm Exponent, Inc., in a report commissioned by the manufacturer of one of the electronic cigarettes tested by the FDA. Some of the criticisms in Exponent’s report are poor standards of documentation and analysis and failure to perform relevant comparisons to FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy products, which Exponent claims contain TSNA levels comparable to those of e-cigarettes. The study concludes that the FDA’s claims of potential adverse health effects were not supported by the study.

Health Canada

On March 27, 2009, Health Canada issued an advisory against electronic cigarettes. The advisory stated “Although these electronic smoking products may be marketed as a safer alternative to conventional tobacco products and, in some cases, as an aid to quitting smoking, electronic smoking products may pose risks such as nicotine poisoning and addiction.”

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization proclaimed in September 2008 that it does not consider the electronic cigarette to be a legitimate smoking cessation aid, and demanded that marketers immediately remove from their materials any suggestions that the WHO considers electronic cigarettes safe and effective. The WHO states that to its knowledge, “no rigorous, peer-reviewed studies have been conducted showing that the electronic cigarette is a safe and effective nicotine replacement therapy. WHO does not discount the possibility that the electronic cigarette could be useful as a smoking cessation aid.” WHO Tobacco Free Initiative director ad interim Douglas Bettcher states, “If the marketers of the electronic cigarette want to help smokers quit, then they need to conduct clinical studies and toxicity analyses and operate within the proper regulatory framework. Until they do that, WHO cannot consider the electronic cigarette to be an appropriate nicotine replacement therapy, and it certainly cannot accept false suggestions that it has approved and endorsed the product.”

Health New Zealand

The presence of trace amounts of TSNAs in electronic cigarette vapor was previously documented in an analysis done by the Health New Zealand medical journal in October 2008. However, unlike the FDA study, the Health New Zealand study conducted detailed quantitative analysis and concluded that carcinogens and toxicants are present only below harmful levels. Overall, the product tested was deemed a “safe alternative to smoking.”

The health effects of using electronic cigarettes are currently unknown. Some electronic cigarette companies claim that the harmful material produced by the combustion of tobacco in traditional cigarettes is not present in the atomized liquid of electronic cigarettes. Some have also marketed electronic cigarettes as a way to curtail an addiction to nicotine,[10] although international health organizations have stated they may not be marketed as a cessation device.[11] Despite these claims, a number of regulatory agencies have issued warnings regarding the health effects of these products. The recently formed Electronic Cigarette Association aims to eliminate unsubstantiated health claims made by electronic cigarette companies, and those companies that wish to participate in the association must agree to refrain from making such claims.[12][13] In a recent online survey from November 2009 among 303 smokers, it was found that e-cigarette substitution for tobacco cigarettes resulted in perceived health benefits (less cough, higher ability to do exercise, and a better sense of taste and smell).[14]

In automatic models, when a user inhales through the device, air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes a nicotine solution stored in the mouthpiece.[2] On manual models, the user must depress a button to activate the heating element to produce vapor which is then inhaled by the user. On most models an LED on the opposite end of the device is also activated during inhalation, which serves as an indicator of use. The LED’s color is usually a matter of preference, as the most widely used electronic cigarettes come with options for many different colors.

The electronic cigarette was first developed with a registered patent, in April 2003 by SBT Co. Ltd., a Beijing based company, which is now controlled by the Golden Dragon Group Ltd. In 2004, Ruyan took over the project to further develop the emerging technology. Ruyan officially absorbed SBT Co. Ltd. and their name was changed to SBT RUYAN Technology & Development Co., Ltd. Already in May 2004, Ruyan sold the first electronic cigarette in China. In its first 3 years of production, SBT RUYAN saw steady increases in sales, from $13 million HKD ($1.7 million USD) in 2004 to $136 million HKD ($17 million USD) in 2005, and $286 million HKD ($37 million USD) in 2006.[7]

In April 2006, the electronic cigarette was brought to Europe, and officially launched at the “RUYAN” Overseas Promotion Conference in Austria.[8] After its introduction, this product was adapted to the European market and marketed in UK as the “Electro fag”. In 2007, Reuters visited SBT RUYAN in Beijing, which drew media attention to the technology. According to Matt Salmon, president of the recently formed Electronic Cigarette Association, the total number of e-cigarette users was estimated to be 300,000 in October 2009, based on survey results. In his opinion, Salmon added, the actual figure was in excess of that.[9]

While electronic cigarettes take many forms, they each generally employ the same basic components: a mouthpiece, a heating element, a rechargeable battery, and various electronic circuits. Mouthpiece (“cartridge”)

The mouthpiece is a small disposable plastic cup-like piece affixed to the end of the tube. Inside the mouthpiece is a smaller plastic cup which holds an absorbent material that is saturated with a flavored liquid solution that may contain nicotine.[3] This inner cup is made such that air is able to flow around it and through a hole in the end of the outer piece; this is necessary for the device to provide the ability for suction to move the vapor into the user’s mouth. The mouthpiece is referred to in the industry as a “cartridge”. When the liquid in the cartridge has been depleted, it can either be refilled by the user or replaced with another pre-filled cartridge.
[edit] Heating element (“atomizer”)

The heating element serves to vaporize the liquid in the mouthpiece so that it can be inhaled. This component is referred to in the industry as an “atomizer”. Some models combine an atomizer and pre-filled cartridge into one disposable component referred to as a “cartomizer”.
[edit] Battery and electronics
An electronic cigarette battery connected to a USB charger.

Most electronic cigarettes employ a lithium-ion rechargeable battery to power the heating element. Battery life varies depending on the battery type and size, frequency of use, and operating environment. Many different battery charger types are available, such as wall outlet, car, and USB chargers. The battery is generally the largest component of an electronic cigarette.

Some electronic cigarettes employ an electronic airflow sensor to automatically activate the heating element upon inhalation, while other models require the user to press a button while inhaling. Various other electronic circuits are usually employed as well, such as a timed cutoff switch to prevent overheating and a colored LED to signal activation of the device.
A slightly larger electronic cigarette like the ProVape-1, also called a “mod”, uses common rechargeable batteries and offers the user longer performance due to its increased battery capacity.

While some larger electronic cigarette models employ a user-replaceable standard-size battery cell, many models are too small to house a standard-size cell and instead require a proprietary component made by the electronic cigarette manufacturer. For those models, the battery and electronic components are housed within a single replaceable part, which is still generally referred to in the industry simply as the “battery”.

Electronic cigarette! Have you got yours yet?

An electronic cigarette or “e-cigarette” is an alternative to smoked tobacco products, such as cigarettes , cigars , or pipes . It is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized propylene glycol / nicotine solution . In addition to nicotine delivery, this vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke , while no tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved in its operation.

In many localities, the use or sale of electronic cigarettes is still illegal, such as in Australia and Hong Kong . [ 1 ]

An electronic cigarette usually takes the form of some manner of elongated tube, though many are designed to resemble the outward appearance of real smoking products, like cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. A common design is also the “pen-style”, so named for its visual resemblance to a ballpoint pen .