While electronic cigarettes are advertised as a healthier alternative to cigarettes containing smoke, UF and the American Lung Association oppose them despite their claim to be better on lungs and the environment.
Electronic cigarettes are rechargeable, battery-operated, personal vaporizers that mimic the look of an actual cigarette. There is no tobacco or smoke. Instead, water vapor is inhaled, resembling smoke and a sensored light gets brighter when the smoker takes a puff.
“Electronic cigarettes are definitely not recommended for quitting smoking,” said Jane Emmeree, a health promotion specialist at GatorWell. Instead, she said, they just reinforce the motion of the habit.
She said the levels of nicotine are not sufficient to satisfy a habitual smoker in the first place and therefore not effective for quitting.
“The American Lung Association is very concerned about Electronic Cigarettes,” said Erika Sward, the association’s director of national advocacy. “Until the FDA determines they are safe, they should be taken out of the marketplace.”
Electronic cigarettes are not allowed on campus under the smoking ban, said UF spokesman Steve Orlando.
