Could electronic cigarettes (right) help smokers stub out the real thing (left)? (iStockphoto)

The newest nicotine fad is growing in popularity. But are electronic cigarettes safe?

Today, smokers who want to kick the habit can turn to all sorts of products for a nicotine fix: patches, gum, lozenges, and, most recently, electronic cigarettes. The battery-powered devices look and feel like the real deal but deliver nicotine to the lungs via vaporized liquid, not smoke—which means no tar or carbon monoxide. Some experts say that e-cigarettes could help smokers quit, and they’re becoming more popular: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 6 percent of all U.S. adults—and one in five smokers—have tried them.

But do e-cigarettes make it easier to break the habit—or harder? Studies suggesting that the devices help people quit are too few and too small on which to base any firm, science-based recommendations or advice, says Thomas Glynn, Ph.D., director of International Cancer Control at the American Cancer Society. And in many parts of the U.S., e-cigarettes can be used in traditionally nonsmoking areas, such as bars, restaurants, and offices. That’s a problem when you consider that smoking has declined among Americans in recent years largely due to campaigns that prohibit people from lighting up in public places.

And while electronic cigarettes are often marketed as a healthier alternative, there’s no guarantee that all of the devices are safe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet issued final regulations on e-cigarettes, so “consumers cannot always be sure of what they are inhaling,” says Glynn. Many are made in China, where manufacturing oversight isn’t as tight; additionally, studies have found contaminants and impurities in a few brands, albeit at low levels. Until e-cigarettes are regulated, says Nathan Cobb, M.D., a pulmonologist at Georgetown University Medical Center, it’s best to use FDA-approved nicotine-delivery devices, such as patches or gum.