The chemical composition of the electronic cigarette aerosol varies across and within manufacturers. Limited data exists regarding their chemistry. However, researchers at Johns Hopkins University analyzed the vape clouds of popular brands such as Juul and Vuse, and found "nearly 2,000 chemicals, the vast majority of which are unidentified."
Aerosol (vapor) exhaled by an e-cigarette user
An exploded view of an e-cigarette with transparent clearomizer and changeable dual-coil head. This model allows for a wide range of settings.
E-cigarette mouthpiece with particles of insoluble apparently thermally decomposed tobacco extract from the aerosol
Evidence of thermally decomposed material on the wick (of an e-cigarette) in proximity to the heating element
Cigarette
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A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opposite end. Cigarette smoking is the most common method of tobacco consumption. The term cigarette, as commonly used, refers to a tobacco cigarette, but the word is sometimes used to refer to other substances, such as a cannabis cigarette or a herbal cigarette. A cigarette is distinguished from a cigar by its usually smaller size, use of processed leaf, and paper wrapping, which is typically white.
A filtered cigarette
An electronic cigarette
A reproduction of a carving from the temple at Palenque, Mexico, depicting a Maya deity using a smoking tube
Francisco Goya's La Cometa, depicting a (foreground left) man smoking an early quasicigarette