Cigarettes are clearly bad for you, but 19 percent of adults buy them anyway, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Critics see them as a source of irritation. The consumers, however, regularly break to draw on their packs of livelihood.

They are a way to get through the day, but each drag comes at a cost.

Therein lies a mystery; scientists are constantly analyzing what keeps people smoking despite the obvious health concerns. A 2013 study published by Eyal Ert, Eldad Yechiam, and Olga Arshavsky in the Public Library of Science found that smokers are, in large part, encouraged by short-term incentives, with a tendency to succumb to sources of immediate gratification in spite of apparent ramifications down the road. This may be true, but with such an uncertain future, can you blame them? According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock, it’s 5 til midnight (or total annihilation).

At the rate we’re going, the smokers might just outlast the world, and as Jim Morrison so elegantly put it, you might as well get your kicks before the whole s**thouse goes up in flames.

Electronic smoking (or e-smoking) alternatives are bringing a new perspective to that conversation. So many stubborn smokers are out there; they love it too much to stop, and no one is going to take that away from them. Or maybe they’re just helpless addicts (*puts out cigarette*). Whatever the case is, Daniel Borel and Kevin Robinson of Buku Vapors, located at 2030 Line Avenue, feel they have got something for you.

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), otherwise known as E-Cigs, are sweeping the country. The variety of brands and product lines have spiked in recent years. The thought of a safe and pleasurable smoking alternative is quite intriguing, and if this stuff really works, maybe smokers can retain an age-old pastime and actually experience old age. But are they legitimately safer?

The evidence so far says yes. More accurately, they are less harmful. According to Borel, there are five chemicals in his vapor, which is produced by heating one of the many nicotine solutions mixed in-house. This is compared to over 7,000 chemicals in cigarettes, according to the CDC.

The chemicals in vapor include Water Vapor, Vegetable Glycerin, Nicotine, Food Flavoring/Coloring and the more controversial Propylene Glycol. Propylene Glycol is a common ingredient in antifreeze. It is also in Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Cake Mix, shampoo, pills and cosmetics, according to a report by the Huffington Post in April of 2012. Though touching it may cause skin irritation, it is recognized as “generally safe” by the Food and Drug Administration. It is commonly used to absorb moisture and to effectively generate artificial smoke.

Doctors Nardini and Pacifici asserted in the Monaldi Archives for Chest Diseases that even though ENDS are probably less harmful than cigarettes, there have been no trials to support their usefulness in quitting.

Borel and Robinson disagree, and they cite their personal experiences. Both were once heavy smokers. Borel got to thinking after his grandfather passed away; his grandfather’s demise spurred the vision for Buku Vapors. He picked up “vaping,” slang for the use of ENDS, and gradually weaned himself off of cigarettes.

Borel says his breathing is better, his taste buds are back and cigarettes taste like crap in comparison. Robinson is completely off of nicotine and withholds it from his vapor (an available option for any customer). The guys hope fortunate outcomes such as theirs will go on to enhance the lives of each soul that steps through their door.

The nature of the E-Cig marketplace is sure to change with the legislative landscape. Time will tell if it stays a viable option. Vaping may be a fruitful alternative, or even a means to quitting, but one must remain mindful of the false dichotomy: just because ENDS devices are less harmful does not mean they are healthy.

Until the air is completely consumed by toxins, simply breathing will always be your safest bet.

-Ryan Mustapha

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