Electronic cigarettes, known as e cigarettes for short, exist to combat the health risks of an addiction to smoking tobacco. Electronic cigarettes replicate the sensations of smoking, by vaporizing liquid solutions rather than burning tobacco. They also often deliver the
same nicotine content as traditional cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes consist of three main components: a cartridge, an atomizer and a battery. The cartridge is the mouthpiece and usually also stores the liquid that is vaporized. The atomizer is the heating element that actually vaporizes the liquid. The battery supplies the power needed. Many models of electronic cigarettes combine the cartridge and atomizer into a single disposable unit known as a cartomizer.

An electronic cigarette looks almost exactly like a traditional cigarette to the casual eye. The one major visual difference is the color of the glowing tip when in use. E cigarettes usually glow green or blue at the end, so as to distinguish themselves from traditional cigarettes. Electronic cigarette use is often socially acceptable in situations where traditional smoking is not.

There is little definitively known about the health risks of electronic cigarettes. Studies of the long term effects of inhaling nicotine vapor are currently in progress. Proponents of electronic cigarettes claim that they eliminate or at least greatly reduce the health hazards of smoking. Claims are also made that making use of electronic cigarettes helps smokers give up smoking altogether in the long run.

The only thing known for certain about the risks of electronic cigarettes is that they do not generate sidestream smoke, the major component of secondhand smoke.