What Causes Odorless Smoke?

One of the byproducts of a lit cigarette is smoke and the lingering smell that it creates. Apartment complexes, rental car agencies and hotels are cracking down on smokers, going so far as to exact penalties for the odor smoke leaves behind. To address this issue, and to lessen smoke exposure to bystanders, products that create odorless smoke are increasingly available. Such products allow smokers to satisfy their habit while protecting others from the effects.

The Components

• Creating odorless smoke requires a few components, including a mouthpiece, a heating element referred to as an atomizer, a battery, and a cartridge. Electronic cigarettes, also known as vaporless cigarettes or e-cigs, contains these elements and look like an actual cigarette. Such a cigarette may also contain an LED light that imitates the glow of a burning cigarette tip.

The Cartridge

• The cartridge of an odorless, smoke-free electronic cigarette holds a liquid solution that contains a nicotine blend. Cartridges can be refilled or replaced, depending on the style used. Rather than creating actual smoke, and the odors that come with it, a vapor is created by the liquid solution in the cartridge as it heats briefly through a battery-powered atomizer that serves as a heating element.

The 'Smoke'

• An absorbent material in the mouthpiece is moistened with a liquid solution while the heating element vaporizes the solution, creating an odorless vapor that resembles smoke. As a result, some people who puff on odorless electronic cigarettes have come to refer to their smoking technique as "vaping."

Nicotine Levels

• The liquid solution used to cause odorless smoke may contain anywhere from a high to a low dose of nicotine, depending on the level chosen. Some nicotine solutions are tobacco or mint flavored or have flavors such as strawberry or vanilla. Some solutions also carry no nicotine.