More than half of people questioned in a poll think electronic cigarettes should be regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration, but 47 percent believe the devices should be available to smokers who want to quit.

"In the hunt for a safer cigarette, electronic cigarettes, often referred to as ecigarettes, are becoming a popular option among those either trying to quit or who are looking to replace standard tobacco smoke with an alternative that manufacturers claim to be safer," Zogby International, which conducted the poll, said in a statement.

About half of the 4,611 adults who took part in the poll had heard about ecigarettes, which are battery-powered, or rechargeable devices that vaporize a liquid nicotine solution. They do not produce smoke but an odorless water vapor.

Last year the World Health Organization (WHO) warned against using electronic cigarettes, saying there was no evidence to prove they were safe or helped smokers break the habit.

The WHO said people who puff on ecigarettes inhale a fine mist of nicotine in the lungs.

Nearly a third of people questioned in the poll think that e-cigarettes, because they don't produce smoke, should be allowed in places where smoking is forbidden, but 46 percent disagreed.

Men who were aware of the availability of ecigarettes were more likely than women to say they should be an option available to smokers who want to quit.

Young people, aged 18-29, and singles were the groups most open to trying electronic cigarettes.

Tobacco is the single largest cause of preventable death worldwide, according to the WHO.

对戒烟者来说，电子香烟应该是一种新的选择吗？美国民众对这一问题看法各异。

在一项最新调查中，半数以上受访者认为美国食品药品监督管理局应管制电子香烟，但仍有47%的受访者认为应该可以向戒烟者出售电子香烟。

开展此项调查的佐格比国际调查公司在一份声明中称：“在寻找更安全香烟的过程中，电子香烟这一选择日益受到戒烟者和想替换普通烟雾的人们的欢迎，而生产商则声称这种产品更加安全。”

共有4611名成年人参与了此项调查，其中大约半数受访者听说过以电池为能量，或可充电的电子香烟。烟民在使用时需点燃电子香烟内的液态尼古丁，这不会冒出烟雾，而只会挥发出无嗅的水汽。

世界卫生组织（WHO）曾在去年提醒人们不要吸电子香烟，称没有证据证明其安全性，以及帮助戒烟的功用。

世卫组织称，烟民在吸电子香烟时会将纯雾体尼古丁吸入肺部。

近三分之一的受访者认为，由于电子香烟不产生烟雾，因此应该允许在禁烟区吸，但46%的受访者表示反对。

知晓电子香烟的男性比女性更倾向于认为可以向戒烟者出售电子香烟。

年龄在18岁至29岁的年轻人、以及单身男女对尝试电子香烟的态度最开放。

世卫组织称，吸烟是全球最大的一项单独的可预防性死因。