Makers of Electronic Cigarette call it a safe, healthy alternative

BOSTON -- Makers of a new product say it can give smokers satisfaction without the health risk.

The "E-Cig", or Electronic Cigarette, is claimed to be safe because there is no tobacco, tar, or smoke. The pen-sized cigarette is made of plastic and metal and is battery charged. The tiny white cartridges contain water, propylene glycol, nicotine, and a tobacco flavor, and supply enough nicotine for up to two packs of cigarettes.

"There is no second hand smoke, there is no tobacco in this product as far as I know," says Jonathan Winickoff, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital.

7NEWS put the new product to the test by giving smokers a chance to try the E-Cig for a week.

"You actually inhale something and you get nicotine from it so its definitely a big help, I'd say," remarked Joe Callahan, who has been a smoker for 10 years.

"I found it awkward especially like in public and people are like "what's that?" and I was constantly explaining but you know," said Erica Cassesso, an on and off smoker of 11 years.

"It’s a little difficult to inhale, it takes a lot of force," said Angela Harrar, a decade long smoker, "which might be one of the reasons why I didn't take to it as much as I had hoped."

None of the testers said they were able to extinguish their cigarettes completely, but they did say it helped them cut down by substituting the E-Cig for real ones. The testers also said they liked how they could get a nicotine fix inside public places.

The E-Cig is sold online for about $99 dollars.

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