Philip Morris is the world’s largest international cigarette and tobacco company, selling their products to over 200 countries and bringing in $80.11 billion in revenue a year. However, all of that could change, as Philip Morris, whose best selling product is Marlboro cigarettes, is turning to the popular industry of the e-cigarette.

Though e-cigs do not contain tobacco, they still contain a number of the harmful chemicals found in regular cigarettes. The FDA said in a forum that e-cigs contain, ‘detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could be exposed,’ and these chemicals, such as formaldehyde, are known to cause deadly diseases such as cancer.

Mrs. Githens, the freshman counselor for Lewis-Palmer High School states; “I think that anything that you are inhaling into your lungs that is not air, is not going to be good for your body,” Githens said about the health concerns of e-cigarettes. Her concerns are valid, as not only are there harmful chemicals that can be inhaled, but the FDA stated that there are also quantities of nicotine which can cause addiction.

Philip Morris’s move to stop selling cigarettes can, however, decrease the millions of people who still die from smoking every year.

“E-cigarettes still have all the addictive chemicals in them, but it is definitely a step forward in the industry,” Mr. Lester, Lewis-Palmer High School gym teacher and baseball coach said.

These alternatives to the traditional cigarettes are supposed to enable a ‘phase-out period’ for the traditional cigarettes, as said by Andre Calantzopoulos, the CEO of Philip Morris. This ‘phase-out period’ intends to eradicate the use of traditional cigarettes and replace them with e-cigarettes.

As for the business side of things, Philip Morris is actually still advertising their traditional cigarettes around the world, so they are not losing profits as of now. However, when the phase-out period does begin and the e-cigarette industry blooms, Tobacco Reporter says that e-cigarettes can generate a revenue between $720 million and $1.2 billion per year if all goes well.

E-cigarettes may be the next best thing, as their popularity is already huge in the teen audience and those trying to quit smoking, said the Huffington Post. Whether or not you want e-cigarettes to become popular, the industry is indeed taking over the traditional tobacco cigarettes.