Vaping is as harmful as smoking”, and 7 other Vaping Myths debunked
Is Vaping harmful as smoking ?
Vaping often faces unfair criticism. This is despite extensive evidence and support from leading experts such as the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID, previously Public Health England), the NHS, ASH and Cancer Research UK. Even more worryingly, millions of smokers wrongly think that vaping is as harmful as smoking. For the sake of clarity, the position of health experts on vaping is this:
All reputable public health bodies in the UK are in no doubt that vaping is much, much safer than smoking. They all recommend that smokers should consider switching completely to vaping. It is much less harmful, and it helps people to quit. They do not recommend vaping to non-smokers. This is because although it is much safer than smoking, it is very unlikely to be completely risk free .
Independent Expert Reviews
OHID recently released an independent evidence review. It is the last in a series that they have regularly published since 2015. It shows that in 2021, only 34% of adult smokers accurately believed that vaping was less harmful than smoking. In addition, only 11% of adult smokers knew that nicotine does not really contribute to the harms of smoking. These statistics are very troubling. How many more smokers could massively improve their health by switching to vaping if they knew the truth?
So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular vaping myths:
1. Vaping is as harmful as smoking
Vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking. Switching completely from smoking to vaping is likely to have substantial health benefits over continued smoking.
OHID and the Royal College of Physicians state that e-cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than tobacco. Almost all the health risks from smoking come from the chemicals contained in tobacco smoke. As vaping products do not contain or burn tobacco, their vapour only contains a tiny subset of those chemicals. They are always at much lower levels than in tobacco smoke. One study found a typical vaper that doesn’t smoke was found to have 97% less cancer-evident biomarkers than a typical smoker. The levels are, in fact, similar to those of someone that had never smoked.
2. There are no regulations on vaping products
The UK has some of the best regulations on vaping in the world. All vape products sold in the UK are subject to the “Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016“. These regulations require that vaping products meet proper standards of quality and safety. They also control nicotine strength, health warnings, advertising, childproof packaging, and bans on certain ingredients.
Totally Wicked have been supplying e-liquid since 2008. We have made e-liquids in our own laboratory here in the UK since 2012. Making our e-liquids in-house means we can ensure they are always manufactured and tested to the highest standards possible.
3. Vaping caused the USA’s so-called “EVALI” outbreak
Back in 2019 stories appeared in the media about an outbreak of lung injury in the US. Experts quickly, but as it turns out falsely, identified e-cigarettes as a cause. It is now evident that so-called “EVALI” only affected people vaping illegally supplied cannabis products. Not CBD products, but THC products, as the people wanted to get “high” rather than avoid smoking or find some other therapeutic benefit. In every case fully investigated, the cannabis pods in question were found to contain a chemical called vitamin E acetate.
4. Vaping causes Popcorn Lung
There have also been stories that vaping products cause a disease called “popcorn lung”. “Popcorn workers’ lung” is a rare lung disease. There is some suggestion that it might be linked to a chemical flavouring called diacetyl. It was named after a group of popcorn factory workers developed the condition, and had been breathing high concentrations of the flavouring. It was not related to use of e-cigarettes.
UK regulations have banned diacetyl as an e-liquid ingredient. Therefore, using a UK-regulated vaping product and e-liquids cannot cause ‘popcorn lung’.
5. Second hand vapour is harmful to others
Whilst we recommend you should always be courteous to non-vapers in public areas, there is no evidence that vapour causes harm to bystanders. Public Health England’s 2018 evidence review found that to date, there have been no identified health risks of passive vaping to the health of bystanders. This is in stark contrast to the known health risks of second-hand smoke that underpin UK smoke free laws.
6. Vape products are targeting children
Vaping is a vital tool that helps millions of adult smokers to quit cigarettes and lead a healthier lifestyle.
The vape industry is an age-restricted category. You must be 18 or over to buy any vaping products. To buy vape products in a shop or online, you will need to verify your age in the same way you would if you were buying alcohol.
Here at Totally Wicked we have a strict Challenge 25 policy in all our shops. Online, we have robust third-party age verification to ensure people under 18 don’t have access to our products. We’d need to be a special kind of stupid to be targeting people that we don’t actually sell to.
7. Vapes are dangerous and can explode
You may have seen the horror stories of vapes exploding in people’s pockets, or even while using them. This is very rare, and almost always because of misuse or incorrect storage of the device.
Almost all vapes use a lithium-ion battery as their power source. Many mobile phones, games console remotes, laptop computers and power tools use the same battery type. Any electronic device that uses a lithium-ion battery can catch fire or explode if misused. However the vast majority do not do this.
8. Nicotine can cause cancer
It is well know that one of the most horrific features of smoking is increased cancer risk. This is particularly true of lung cancers. Although nicotine is the most addictive element of tobacco smoke, the cancer risk come from elsewhere. Tobacco smoke contains a lethal cocktail of dangerous chemicals, many of which are well known to cause cancer.
If you were under the illusion that nicotine is a dangerous carcinogen, you were not alone. 89% of adult UK smokers think that nicotine may cause cancer. Frighteningly, in the US, 4 out of 5 doctors incorrectly believed nicotine to be carcinogenic in a 2020 study.
Debunking vaping myths
A lot of people misunderstand vaping. This is usually because of a lack of correct and balanced information. Unfortunately a lot of people’s perception of vaping is based on negative stories they have seen in the media. This is stopping people switching from smoking to an option which is significantly less harmful to their health. Millions of lives could be longer and happier with better awareness of the facts around vaping.
We have already seen a huge increase in support for vaping from leading health authorities in recent years. As more experts come forward with research and evidence, more people will have the confidence to use vaping to quit smoking. It’s important that we continue to inform people of the facts around vaping.
