TY - JOUR T1 - Electronic cigarettes: fact and faction JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 442 LP - 443 DO - 10.3399/bjgp14X681253 VL - 64 IS - 626 AU - Robert West AU - Jamie Brown Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/64/626/442.abstract N2 - There are a number of public health advocates who appear to consider electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) primarily as a threat to public health, and bodies such as the British Medical Association (BMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are warning smokers about their potential dangers.1 This editorial takes a close look at the evidence.E-cigarettes are devices designed to give much of the experience of smoking and usually contain a certain amount of nicotine without exposing the user to the highly carcinogenic tar and harmful carbon monoxide gas that cigarettes deliver.2 Many of them look broadly similar to cigarettes but are often larger and sport different colours; some look very different from cigarettes. Some have a tip that glows red, blue, or green when the user sucks on them. They contain a battery-powered heating element that is activated either manually or automatically when the user sucks on the end. This element heats a liquid mostly made up of propylene glycol or glycerol, usually with some nicotine and flavourings. The resulting vapour is inhaled and delivers varying amounts of nicotine, typically less than from smoking, depending on the device and experience of the user. Some of the vapour is exhaled as a visible mist.Given that smokers smoke primarily for the nicotine but die primarily from the tar,3 one might imagine that e-cigarettes would be welcomed as a means to prevent … ER -