Electronic cigarettes were first invented by a Chinese scientist called Hon Lik. He was employed by Dragon Holdings, a Chinese company which later adjusted its company brand and name in order to reflect the enormous success they knew was coming thanks to Mr Lik’s clever little creation.
Hon Lik dreamed up the idea for fabricating the smoking process using inert chemicals, and he came up with the idea of putting a liquid nicotine into a device which, when sucked, would heat up and produce a vapour laced with some of the nicotine.
Inside an e-cigarette is a device called an Atomiser, this is the most ingenious component. It attaches to a battery which is hidden inside the long body of the electronic cigarette. When the user draws air into the e-cigarette by sucking on the end of it, just like a normal cigarette, the battery releases some charge into the atomizer and this in turn causes a chemical reaction, mixing nicotine with the air coming in, and with the assistance of a chemical (usually propylene glycol) this produces a vapour very similar to fake smoke you see at the theatre or in stage productions.
Electronic Cigarettes are NOT an official smoking cessation method. They can not be marketed as such, and are not recognised as such by any health regulator in Europe.
If you are thinking of trying out an e-cigarette, make sure you read some e-cigarette reviews before you dive in for an expensive model. There are some cheap ways to try them. But just remain aware that these are not a means to giving up smoking, more a means to doing it but in a more health-conscious way.