E-Cigarettes, Explained

For more than 50 years, Frank Sparks smoked traditional cigarettes. Sparks, now 64, said he was 62 when he knew it was time to quit. “I couldn’t run down the block without losing my breath,” Sparks said. Within three days of stumbling upon e-cigarettes, Sparks — a former Navy SEAL and a resident of California — stopped smoking traditional cigarettes and hasn’t sparked one up since.

Although e-cigarettes are not marketed as a smoking cessation product, the battery-operated vapor technology has gained acceptance by smokers and non-smokers alike. As the popularity of this smokeless option continues to rise, so does the controversy regarding whether it is healthy or harmful.