They look like cigarettes, but unlike the real thing these are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine using a vapor. Electronic cigarettes - now available online and at mall kiosks - contain no tobacco and produce no smoke. Thus, their risk is minimal compared to conventional cigarettes, which deliver not only nicotine but also more than 4,000 chemical toxins and more than 60 carcinogens.

As an additional benefit, e-cigarettes produce no secondhand smoke. Many smokers are using e-cigarettes to stay off conventional cigarettes. And because they look like cigarettes and simulate the act of smoking, they are proving to be far more effective in keeping smokers off cigarettes than nicotine replacement therapy.