From: MLive-Michigan
By Al Jones
KALAMAZOO, MI — The popularity of electronic cigarettes for many people is linked to using them as an alternative to tobacco smoking.
E-cigarette flavoring can be loaded with anywhere from 0 to 24 milligrams of nicotine to provide the nicotine jolt that smokers say they get with traditional tobacco products.
Gradually lowering that level, and getting away from the harmful effects of tars and carbon monoxide of tobacco-burning cigarettes is e-cigarette smokers’ overriding claim for it being a great way to quit smoking.
But e-cigarettes’ effectiveness as a smoking-cessation tool has not yet been proven, and e-cigarette makers and sellers are very careful about making strong claims.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is studying e-cigarettes and their effects, but health experts say it will likely be years before research will bear any real findings.