People of Australia, take note: When buying electronic cigarettes, be sure to pick the right brand. Otherwise, you could be doing yourself more harm than good.

This lesson was learned too late by a Niceville, Florida man whose harrowing experience was anything but nice. The Vietnam veteran and father of three recently landed in a hospital after the electric cigarette he was using exploded right in his face. The incident not only burned his face but knocked out some of his front teeth and removed a part of his tongue. Thank God nothing like this has happened in Australia!

The victims name was not revealed but he was later identified as Tom Holloway, 57, based on the comments of well-wishers on his Facebook page. He was treated at a hospital in Mobile, Alabama. Ironically, users in Australia learned that Holloway switched to e cigs because he was trying to kick his smoking habit. A faulty battery was blamed for the accident which is the first one linked to e cigarettes.

Joseph Parker, division chief for the North Bay Fire Department, compared the entire experience to holding a rocket in the mouth. He said the battery flew out of the tube and set everything on fire. The accident left a trail of burned chair cushions, pictures, carpet and other equipment in Holloways home office. Unfortunately, investigators could not identify the brand of the faulty electronic cigarette based on the shrapnel it left behind. This has left many smokers in Australia worried.

E cigs look like ordinary cigarettes but they are actually battery-powered devices that turn liquid nicotine into a mist that can be safely inhaled. Smokers in Australia said the mist tastes, feels and looks like tobacco smoke minus the bad effects. The clean mist of e-cigs is created using a process similar to that of an asthma inhaler.

Since they were introduced a few years ago, e cigarettes have not been associated with any problems in Australia. The devices are generally viewed as a healthy substitute for tobacco cigarettes and may even help smokers quit. This is because electric cigarettes dont burn tobacco and are free of toxic chemicals normally found in tobacco cigarettes. Most have lower amounts of nicotine than regular cigarettes.

However, the recent incident has left many people in Australia wondering: are e cigs really safe? Wont they explode in your face? What probably happened was a freak accident and underscores the importance of choosing a good e-cigs brand. That way, you avoid a substandard product.

Thomas Kiklas, co-founder of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, said there have no known problems with e cigs so far. In the United Stated alone, 2.5 million use e-cigs. The American Association of Public Health Physicians added that electric cigarettes may even save the lives of millions of people in Australia and other countries who are doomed to die of tobacco-related diseases in the next 20 years.

When searching for electronic cigarettes online, be sure to visit a reputable e-cigs online store, ecigs online shop or e-cigarettes supplier in Australia. That way, you wont have any problems and can quit smoking at the earliest possible time.