Should ecigarettes (electronic cigarettes) be a new choice for the smokers trying to get rid
of the habit? Reactions from Americans are mixed．More than half of the people questioned in
a survey think ecigarettes should be controlled by the US Food and Drug Administration,but 47
percent believe the ecigarettes should be available to the smokers who want to quit．
     "In the hunt for a safer cigarette,ecigarettes are becoming a popular choice among those either
 trying to quit or looking to replace standard tobacco smoke with an alternative that manufacturers
claim to be safer," Zogby International,which conducted the survey,said in a statement．
     About half of the 4,611 adults who took part in the survey had heard about ecigarettes,which
are batterypowered,or rechargeable cigarettes that vaporize a liquid nicotine solution．They do not
produce smoke but a water vapor without smell．Sold mostly on the Internet,ecigarettes were first
made in China．
     Last year the World Health Organization (WHO) warned against using ecigarettes,saying there
was no evidence to prove they were safe or helped smokers break the habit．The WHO said people
who smoke ecigarettes breathe in a fine fog of nicotine into the lungs．
     Nearly a third of people questioned in the survey think that ecigarettes should be allowed in places
where smoking is forbidden,because they don't produce smoke,but 46 percent disagree．Men who
were aware of the availability of ecigarettes were more likely than women to say they should be a choice
available to smokers who want to quit．Young people,aged 18－29,and singles were the groups most
open to trying ecigarettes．Smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death worldwide,according
to the WHO．