By Andrea Clark

A new wave of the safer-tobacco craze has hit America with the recent invention of the E-cigarette.

Short for “electronic cigarette,” the gadget is a battery-operated cigarette that acts as a vaporizer for liquid containing nicotine.  Manufacturers claim that the smoke emitted from E-cigarettes is odorless vapor, so it is not harmful to others or the environment.

The Food and Drug Administration refused approval of the E-cigarettes since their debut in 2007 by Chinese inventor Hon Lik of the Ruyan Group (Holdings) Limited. Some Lexington businesses have opted not the carry the product since it is seen as unsafe.

“(E-cigarettes) are illegal because they are considered a nicotine delivery system,” said Eliot Walter, a clerk who handles tobacco sales at sQecial Media. “R.J. Reynolds invented a smokeless cigarette similar to this some years ago, and it was also outlawed because of the high concentration of nicotine.  (Nicotine) is very similar to cocaine when it’s concentrated like that, so we discontinued E-cigarettes in our store.”

Although E-cigarettes contain nicotine, the addictive ingredient in cigarettes, they do not have any carcinogens. But the presence of the nicotine is enough to worry some health professionals.

“Nicotine constricts blood vessels within seconds of inhaling,” said Carol Riker, an associate professor in the College of Nursing and a registered nurse. “It’s just a constant wear and tear on your heart.”

Riker is also doubtful of the effectiveness of E-cigarettes in kicking a smoking habit, a reason for some smokers to switch from traditional cigarettes.

“They feed smokers’ oral and social habits,” she said. “What is most effective is nicotine replacement. We have a Tobacco Treatment Specialist here at UK and a student helpline, 1-800-QUITNOW.”

Other points of concern for potential E-cigarette smokers are price and taste. E-cigarettes require a mouthpiece, an “ELiquid” solution and a rechargeable battery.

“Most people are paying for the gimmick,” said Schyler Donhoff, a computer science junior, who is currently a smoker and has tried E-cigarettes.

E-cigarette kits start at about $100, and do not include the ELiquid, which is around $40 for 15 milliliters.

“They taste more artificial and they still make you smell like cigarettes,” Donhoff said.  “I would quit smoking before I switched to E-cigarettes.”

Riker hopes that the price of E-cigarettes will deter new users, along with UK’s smoking ban that is set to take place in November.  Donhoff, however, thinks the ban may encourage the use of alternate forms of tobacco like the E-cigarette.