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A new survey from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that four in ten smokers incorrectly believe that vaping is either as harmful or even more harmful than smoking! This directly contradicts Public Health England’s own conclusions that E-Cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than smoking!
IS VAPING MORE HARMFUL THAN SMOKING
Since the introduction of E-Cigarettes and vaping, we have been fighting an uphill battle. Despite the UK’s leading health body, Public Health England, declaring that E-Cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than smoking tobacco cigarettes and the UK’s leading cancer charity, Cancer Research UK, conducting their own study to find vaping to be 97% less harmful than smoking – a new study has shown that almost four in ten smokers (39%) wrongly believe that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking!
This is significant for the whole world as smoking is the number one preventable cause of death worldwide. It is precisely because of the damage done by smoking that the E-Cigarette was invented – Chinese inventor Hon Lik designed the E-Cigarette because his father died of smoking related lung cancer, and Hon Lik himself failed to quit smoking using the nicotine patch.
This misconception about E-Cigarettes and vaping is doing a lot of harm, certainly in the UK where e-liquids produced are held to a high standard by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Let’s examine why this anti-vaping stance is flawed and is doing more harm than good.
This is significant for the whole world as smoking is the number one preventable cause of death worldwide. It is precisely because of the damage done by smoking that the E-Cigarette was invented – Chinese inventor Hon Lik designed the E-Cigarette because his father died of smoking related lung cancer, and Hon Lik himself failed to quit smoking using the nicotine patch.
This misconception about E-Cigarettes and vaping is doing a lot of harm, certainly in the UK where e-liquids produced are held to a high standard by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Let’s examine why this anti-vaping stance is flawed and is doing more harm than good.
ARE E-CIGARETTES SAFER THAN CIGARETTES
Four in ten smokers in the UK wrongly believe that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking. How can this be the case? For one, media headlines tend to be sensationalist – they are trying to sell newspapers, get clicks on their websites, and one way to do this is to exaggerate and generate fear.
In many instances of headlines claiming ‘E-Cigarettes caused *this particular harm* to the person,’ the article reveals details that are significant about the harm caused – like the inclusion of the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, THC, by means of a thickening agent that is vitamin E acetate.
In many instances of headlines claiming ‘E-Cigarettes caused *this particular harm* to the person,’ the article reveals details that are significant about the harm caused – like the inclusion of the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, THC, by means of a thickening agent that is vitamin E acetate.
Why is this important? Many of the headlines online are coming from the United States; somewhere that implemented almost no regulation when E-Cigarettes first became available.
The E-Cigarette industry in the USA hasn't been going well due to this lack of regulation. To give a few examples: the vape company JUUL was marketing and distributing to school kids, black market e-liquids and even regular e-liquids didn’t have any guidelines for what should be precluded as an ingredient, and users began modifying their e-liquids with drugs and extras that were never tested as an E-Cigarette ingredient. Vitamin E acetate, for example, has been found in all lung samples of patients with EVALI (E-Cigarette and Vaping Associated Lung Injury).
Conversely, the UK hasn’t seen anywhere near the same number of issues. With regulations being constantly assessed and updated, the UK E-Cigarette market is likely the safest in the world.
The E-Cigarette industry in the USA hasn't been going well due to this lack of regulation. To give a few examples: the vape company JUUL was marketing and distributing to school kids, black market e-liquids and even regular e-liquids didn’t have any guidelines for what should be precluded as an ingredient, and users began modifying their e-liquids with drugs and extras that were never tested as an E-Cigarette ingredient. Vitamin E acetate, for example, has been found in all lung samples of patients with EVALI (E-Cigarette and Vaping Associated Lung Injury).
Conversely, the UK hasn’t seen anywhere near the same number of issues. With regulations being constantly assessed and updated, the UK E-Cigarette market is likely the safest in the world.
HAS VAPING BEEN PROVEN TO BE SAFER
We know that tobacco contains over 50 carcinogens and many other chemicals that are inhaled when you smoke, and the burning of tobacco forms things like tar that sticks to your lungs, reducing the surface area in your lungs for oxygen diffusion, and carbon monoxide that sticks to your red blood cells in the place of oxygen. This means your heart must work harder to get the same amount of oxygen delivered around the body, leading to increased blood pressure. In short: smoking is bad news.
So, your lungs and heart are directly affected when you smoke. Then there are the other factors caused by these symptoms, like increased risk of diabetes, reduced bone density, increased risk of stroke and other neurological conditions, increased risk of blindness, increased risk of Crohn’s disease; the list goes on… and on. There are even dangers from smoking unique to women.
How does vaping compare? The liquid that is vaporised in an E-Cigarette is made up from propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), nicotine and flavourings. A battery supplies power to an atomiser or coil, which turns the e-liquid into an aerosol (also called ‘vapour’) that can be inhaled and the nicotine is absorbed by the lungs.
As explained, no combustion takes place in E-Cigarettes, which means no carbon monoxide. No thousands of chemicals inside, no formation of tar, and as a bonus – no nasty smells! In fact, one National Institutes of Health study found exhaled E-Cigarette aerosol to be composed of over 99.9% water and glycerine!
To be absolutely clear, vaping is not entirely risk free; but you can begin to see why, in well-regulated markets, E-Cigarettes are 95% less harmful than smoking tobacco cigarettes.
So, your lungs and heart are directly affected when you smoke. Then there are the other factors caused by these symptoms, like increased risk of diabetes, reduced bone density, increased risk of stroke and other neurological conditions, increased risk of blindness, increased risk of Crohn’s disease; the list goes on… and on. There are even dangers from smoking unique to women.
How does vaping compare? The liquid that is vaporised in an E-Cigarette is made up from propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), nicotine and flavourings. A battery supplies power to an atomiser or coil, which turns the e-liquid into an aerosol (also called ‘vapour’) that can be inhaled and the nicotine is absorbed by the lungs.
As explained, no combustion takes place in E-Cigarettes, which means no carbon monoxide. No thousands of chemicals inside, no formation of tar, and as a bonus – no nasty smells! In fact, one National Institutes of Health study found exhaled E-Cigarette aerosol to be composed of over 99.9% water and glycerine!
To be absolutely clear, vaping is not entirely risk free; but you can begin to see why, in well-regulated markets, E-Cigarettes are 95% less harmful than smoking tobacco cigarettes.
CAN VAPING HELP SMOKERS
Given that we all know how bad smoking is for you (even the smokers!) why do people keep up the habit? It is all down to the addictive substance, nicotine. The reason why getting nicotine from cigarettes is likely to lead to the development of an addiction is because chemicals are added to the tobacco to do things like improve the taste, numb the throat, and increase the uptake of nicotine in the body.
Yes, you read that right: there are chemicals added to tobacco that increase how much nicotine your body absorbs. The harmful nature of tobacco smoke means that more nicotine is absorbed via the damaged areas, too. This would explain why, after just a few puffs on a tobacco cigarette, the nicotine receptors in the brain are filled to about 85%, and pretty much 100% full by the time you finish that cigarette.
A massive problem for smokers is not only the nicotine addiction itself, but the quantity of nicotine that smoking takes into the body. This programs the body to feel like other ways of consuming nicotine aren’t as satisfying, which is why so many quit attempts fail even when using nicotine replacement therapy products.
Enter the E-Cigarette. All of a sudden, there is a way to get your nicotine in an action similar to smoking, but without the inclusion of tobacco and all the chemicals found inside and without any burning of material (leading to incomplete combustion which forms that harmful carbon monoxide). This provided a substitute that not only eliminates most of the harm from smoking, but is significantly cheaper, too!
Now that E-Cigarettes have been around for a few years, results from a variety of studies are available and should help to inform people on E-Cigarettes and vaping. Did you know, for instance, that one study indicated that E-Cigarettes could be up to twice as effective for quitting smoking compared with nicotine replacement therapy products like the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, nicotine inhalators, nicotine sprays and nicotine lozenges?
The UK Government certainly do! It is the basis for their ‘swap to stop’ scheme to help smokers quit smoking by switching to E-Cigarettes. The National Health Service NHS also know, which is why the MHRA is publishing updated guidance that paves the way for medically licensed E-Cigarette products!
Yes, you read that right: there are chemicals added to tobacco that increase how much nicotine your body absorbs. The harmful nature of tobacco smoke means that more nicotine is absorbed via the damaged areas, too. This would explain why, after just a few puffs on a tobacco cigarette, the nicotine receptors in the brain are filled to about 85%, and pretty much 100% full by the time you finish that cigarette.
A massive problem for smokers is not only the nicotine addiction itself, but the quantity of nicotine that smoking takes into the body. This programs the body to feel like other ways of consuming nicotine aren’t as satisfying, which is why so many quit attempts fail even when using nicotine replacement therapy products.
Enter the E-Cigarette. All of a sudden, there is a way to get your nicotine in an action similar to smoking, but without the inclusion of tobacco and all the chemicals found inside and without any burning of material (leading to incomplete combustion which forms that harmful carbon monoxide). This provided a substitute that not only eliminates most of the harm from smoking, but is significantly cheaper, too!
Now that E-Cigarettes have been around for a few years, results from a variety of studies are available and should help to inform people on E-Cigarettes and vaping. Did you know, for instance, that one study indicated that E-Cigarettes could be up to twice as effective for quitting smoking compared with nicotine replacement therapy products like the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, nicotine inhalators, nicotine sprays and nicotine lozenges?
The UK Government certainly do! It is the basis for their ‘swap to stop’ scheme to help smokers quit smoking by switching to E-Cigarettes. The National Health Service NHS also know, which is why the MHRA is publishing updated guidance that paves the way for medically licensed E-Cigarette products!
WHAT IS THE DANGER OF VAPING
It is interesting to see that, in a world that has become focused on ‘misinformation’, that public health bodies in the UK continue to assess the information available on E-Cigarettes without any change in the stance that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking. So where is the ‘misinformation’ coming from? Why does it exist?
As with America, there has been a rise in youth vaping in the United Kingdom. This is largely down to the availability of disposable vapes that can be purchased online as well as from unscrupulous retailers. This concern, while justified, has led to the scaremongering over E-Cigarettes themselves instead of focusing on nicotine use potentially harming the developing brains of youngsters.
As with America, there has been a rise in youth vaping in the United Kingdom. This is largely down to the availability of disposable vapes that can be purchased online as well as from unscrupulous retailers. This concern, while justified, has led to the scaremongering over E-Cigarettes themselves instead of focusing on nicotine use potentially harming the developing brains of youngsters.
Articles and speeches with this focus ignore the harm reduction value for smokers, often citing that vaping should be banned because it is ‘more addictive that smoking’ without scientific foundation - and the harms are magnified while the details are ignored, when concern over children is present. While understandable, this view is irrational and doesn’t solve the problem of helping people to quit, or youngsters getting hold of age-restricted goods illegally.
Other studies are emerging; one such study from Cardiff University covering the corrosive potential of e-liquid vapour on teeth was immediately debunked by Newcastle University dentistry experts.
The Cardiff study made claims about the dangers of nicotine that were unfounded, incorrectly cited a paper that didn’t support their point of view about the link between cancer and E-Cigarettes, and warned of e-liquid ingredients that are prohibited from use in UK-made e-liquids (so don’t present a danger to the UK public at large).
Their assessment may only be valid for unregulated, foreign e-liquids like those found in disposable vapes from China.
One problem that is likely to be harder to tackle is the optics with which vaping is viewed in entertainment media. One well-known comedian takes part in a back-and-forth on a television show between a smoker and a vaper, and says they are the same thing – throwing vaping under a bus by having an intentionally unintelligent scripted response. While it is an American show, this portrayal undermines perspectives on vaping wherever it is viewed.
Dr Sharon Cox, a research fellow in Behavioural Science and Health at University College London, said in response to the ASH study, ‘The evidence on vaping for smoking cessation is clear and strong, it is far safer to switch to vaping nicotine than it is to continue smoking combustible tobacco… it is the poor reporting of studies, as well as poorly conducted studies, which has led to widespread misperceptions.’
Another research fellow, Dr Sarah Jackson, from the University College London Tobacco and Alcohol research group added, ‘There is an ongoing disconnect between scientific evidence on the relative harms of vaping compared with smoking and how these risks are communicated to the public… media coverage typically focuses on risks to young people who don’t smoke – and generally doesn’t compare these to any risks vapers would face if they opted to smoke instead.’
Dr Sharon Cox, a research fellow in Behavioural Science and Health at University College London, said in response to the ASH study, ‘The evidence on vaping for smoking cessation is clear and strong, it is far safer to switch to vaping nicotine than it is to continue smoking combustible tobacco… it is the poor reporting of studies, as well as poorly conducted studies, which has led to widespread misperceptions.’
Another research fellow, Dr Sarah Jackson, from the University College London Tobacco and Alcohol research group added, ‘There is an ongoing disconnect between scientific evidence on the relative harms of vaping compared with smoking and how these risks are communicated to the public… media coverage typically focuses on risks to young people who don’t smoke – and generally doesn’t compare these to any risks vapers would face if they opted to smoke instead.’
THE TRUTH ABOUT VAPING
The devil is in the detail, right?
Any new market, particularly one that involves a product that is inhaled, should be regulated for safety to the best of our understanding. As the UK and Europe were the leaders in E-Cigarette and vaping regulations, it is no surprise that these areas are the safest when it comes to vaping. Despite this fact, scary headlines originating from the United States seem to override the information being presented here in the UK and Europe.
There is scaremongering here in the UK as well, taking the shape of looking at E-Cigarettes without the context of smoking. E-Cigarettes are accepted to not be risk-free, just 95% less harmful than smoking in a well-regulated market. This allows for standard use of regulated items and liquids, but adding in extras like illicit substances is likely to cause issues as E-Cigs were not designed for it.
Having illustrated the information side of things, the last safety issue is battery safety and general maintenance. We have seen a couple of short-circuits here in the UK – one where the vape mod was being carried in a pocket with keys: a big no-no as this caused the short circuit, causing 3rd degree burns on the man’s leg.
Another short circuit happened while in use, however the device was a mechanical mod that requires a basic understanding of resistance in circuits to use safely and, importantly, was using an Amazon-bought Chinese-made 18650 battery. Anything containing a lithium-ion battery should be treated with care and you should always be willing to spend a little more for a quality battery.
Taking the time to clean your device and check any replaceable parts is essential to minimise risks, too. There have been studies and articles talking about degrading coils with use over time and the increased likelihood of heavy metals leeching into the e-liquid; something vapers who use replaceable refills don't have to worry about as each refill contains a new coil.
There is scaremongering here in the UK as well, taking the shape of looking at E-Cigarettes without the context of smoking. E-Cigarettes are accepted to not be risk-free, just 95% less harmful than smoking in a well-regulated market. This allows for standard use of regulated items and liquids, but adding in extras like illicit substances is likely to cause issues as E-Cigs were not designed for it.
Having illustrated the information side of things, the last safety issue is battery safety and general maintenance. We have seen a couple of short-circuits here in the UK – one where the vape mod was being carried in a pocket with keys: a big no-no as this caused the short circuit, causing 3rd degree burns on the man’s leg.
Another short circuit happened while in use, however the device was a mechanical mod that requires a basic understanding of resistance in circuits to use safely and, importantly, was using an Amazon-bought Chinese-made 18650 battery. Anything containing a lithium-ion battery should be treated with care and you should always be willing to spend a little more for a quality battery.
Taking the time to clean your device and check any replaceable parts is essential to minimise risks, too. There have been studies and articles talking about degrading coils with use over time and the increased likelihood of heavy metals leeching into the e-liquid; something vapers who use replaceable refills don't have to worry about as each refill contains a new coil.
ARE E-CIGARETTES REALLY WORSE THAN SMOKING
It is important to compare E-Cigarettes and vaping back with smoking because it was invented as a form of harm reduction for smokers. We live in a world where our knowledge and understanding are constantly evolving, and it can be a challenge keeping up to date with the latest scientific information.
For this reason, it’s important that media coverage of E-Cigarettes is balanced and provides context by relating the information back with a comparison to smoking; this is lacking in much of the media coverage which may help to explain why four in ten smokers in the UK wrongly believe that vaping is as harmful or worse than smoking.
Just remember: Public Health England regularly reviews evidence on E-Cigarettes and still perceives them to be 95% less harmful than smoking. This means that buying UK-made e-liquids from UK suppliers is the safest way to make the switch from smoking to vaping.
At SMOKO we use UK-made e-liquids held to the highest standards by the MHRA in our E-Cigarette and VAPE POD refills. With rechargeable batteries, a refill recycling program, and UK-made liquids, quitting smoking with E-Cigarettes has never been safer.
For this reason, it’s important that media coverage of E-Cigarettes is balanced and provides context by relating the information back with a comparison to smoking; this is lacking in much of the media coverage which may help to explain why four in ten smokers in the UK wrongly believe that vaping is as harmful or worse than smoking.
Just remember: Public Health England regularly reviews evidence on E-Cigarettes and still perceives them to be 95% less harmful than smoking. This means that buying UK-made e-liquids from UK suppliers is the safest way to make the switch from smoking to vaping.
At SMOKO we use UK-made e-liquids held to the highest standards by the MHRA in our E-Cigarette and VAPE POD refills. With rechargeable batteries, a refill recycling program, and UK-made liquids, quitting smoking with E-Cigarettes has never been safer.
Make the switch with SMOKO today!
REFERENCES
1) ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) Study showing what people thought about e-cigarettes
2) Public Health England's statement on the safety of E-Cigarettes compared to cigarettes
3) Cancer Research Study on E-Cigarettes being 97% less harmful than cigarettes
4) Article on the extreme danger of smoking
5) Study on how cigarettes affect on neurological conditions
6) National Institute of Health study on exhaled vapour composing of over 99.9% water and glycerine
7) Study on how chemicals in tobacco make nicotine absorption easier
8) The NHS on using E-Cigarettes to stop smoking
10) Article on reactions by experts on the ASH study
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage – is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
