Alex Hearn’s nicotine inhaler

There are thousands of ex-smokers who haven given up their habit, only to feel the yearning for the euphoric effects of nicotine. And there are the smokers who refuse to listen to reason and continue the habit saying, “Death is inevitable -whether by cigarette or a car-it make no difference.”

Alex Hearn, a British inventor, has designed a solution for people desiring a somewhat less destructive option than a normal cigarette. He calls it a nicotine inhaler and it is similar in appearance to a standard cigarette. Smokers will receive a regular dose of nicotine tasting the same from the device. As stated, the product will be publicly available in two years time.

A different approach to consumer cigarettes was ventured by a Chinese company. Their electronic cigarettes entered the market in 2008, brandishing a unique design; cylinders resembling cigarettes but are battery powered. Internally fixed with a vaporizer filled with nicotine. The smoker sucks on one end to release a spray of nicotine. The tip even has a small light attached to it to give smokers the complete experience of smoking a cigarette. To the disappointment of smokers, the e-cigarettes do not supply enough amount of nicotine to satisfy their cravings.

Hearn’s product is tailored to give smokers the required quantity of nicotine while limiting the harmful after-effects of smoking. In a press release, he explained that the real harm from cigarettes is caused by the burning of the tobacco, which discharges unhealthy smoke. The nicotine inhaler has no need for tobacco, heat or smoke. Smokers can enjoy medicinal nicotine without worrying about the hazards of smoking.

Scott Rogers, however, refutes Hearn’s claim in a LiveScience interview. A Neurobiologist from the University of Utah, he has accomplished extensive research on nicotine addiction. Rogers argues that nicotine-by itself- influences many biological processes. For example, lung tumors are protected by nicotine.

Regardless, the nicotine inhaler has some positive prospects. Smokers may one day be able to satiate their oral-fixations and not jeopardize the lives of bystanders, or passive smokers.

Via Gizmowatch