 Recently, electronic cigarettes have become more mainstream, however, many are still unsure of how these products operate and how safe they really are. Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices that look like cigarettes but which actually contain no tobacco and involve no combustion process. And what happens is that there's a metal element that heats up and it basically vaporizes the nicotine. And so the user inhales the nicotine from the end of the electronic cigarette just as if they were smoking. There are many advantages to electronic cigarettes. Those in support of the product believe that they are an effective way for cigarette smokers to slowly start to quit. These products were created specifically to help people get off regular cigarettes and to create a safer alternative that would help people to get off smoking but without having to face the risk. I used to smoke pipe tobacco and I like doing smoke tricks and I didn't want to get addicted to cigarettes so I thought the best way of doing it would be switching to an e-cig where there's no nicotine in mine so I don't get addicted to the nicotine and I can still do all the tricks and get the act of smoking. However, there are also many other organizations that are against the use of electronic cigarettes. The American Lung Association explains that they are concerned about the potential safety and health consequences of the product. They also explain that there is no way for the public health, medical community, or consumers to know what chemicals are contained in electronic cigarettes and what the short and long-term health implications might be. While many people support the use of electronic cigarettes because they are safer alternatives to regular cigarettes, others are still concerned that there is a lack of knowledge about their long-term effects. Reporting for the BU News Service, I'm Caitlin Fichtel.