A recent Public Health England (PHE) report launched on Wednesday, 4th March highlights that an increasing number of people “mistakenly” believe that e-cigarettes are more harmful than smoking. This national no-smoking day, the UK health experts explain why vaping is considered as an alternative and perhaps an aid for smoking addicts even as the US dictates a ban on vaping.
Vaping has become the focal point of debate among health experts over the last five years ever since flavoured e-cigarettes started gaining ground among young cigarette smokers. E-cigarettes heat the nicotine that is extracted from tobacco alongside other chemicals which results in the creation of something called the ‘aerosol’. This aerosol is inhaled in the process of vaping. Although e-cigarettes are considered to be harmful to the lungs, health authorities in the UK continuously assert that there have been no deaths reported that can be attributed directly to vaping or caused due to vaping alone. They believe that because of its contained nature, e-cigarettes expose an individual to fewer toxins and chemicals as opposed to potentially being exposed to 7,000 toxins during a traditional cigarette smoking process.
“The report from PHE is a welcome addition to the current evidence on e-Cigarettes and a positive step in helping to ensure the public is well informed. While there are clear potential benefits to their use in reducing the harms associated with smoking, it is vital that usage trends are monitored and any risks to health are identified and minimised.
“Smoking tobacco remains a leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK. If we are to achieve a smoke-free society by 2030 we need bold action aimed at industry and significantly improved funding for smoking cessation services,” explains Professor Dame Parveen Kumar, BMA board of science chair, in a statement to the Asian Voice.
Vaping is 95% better than smoking
However, health experts have raised alarm bells over the false fears circulating in the media over vaping. The concept that using regulated nicotine vapes is far less harmful than smoking is being sidelined in the UK especially following the USA’s ban on flavoured e-cigarettes. Last month, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it had recorded more than 2,800 cases of lung injury linked to vaping. PHE itself notes that smoking causes 220 premature deaths a day in England alone.
However, PHE also notes that vaping is 95% safer than smoking. Over the years, vape shops, e-cigarette manufacturers and tobacco sellers have quoted both the NHS and the PHE in reaching out to their potential market.
“Vaping is 97% safer than smoking, according to NHS and Cancer Research UK,” it reads on the storefronts of some of the vape shops operating in London’s Oxford Street. Over the last half a decade, the UK has seen a phenomenal increase in the number of vape shops both on the high street as well as online retailers. The range of e-cigarettes from the type of brand to the size of the e-cigarette and the flavour in which they are available has also seen a massive expansion.
Nicotine salt liquids and pod kits continue to be popular
Vape Superstore was launched in 2014 and in the last six years, the store reports of sustained and significant growth in their business. Now, one of the biggest online vaping retailers in the UK, Vape Superstore is helping people move away from cigarettes and live a healthier lifestyle. Ed Swain is the Director of Vape Superstore and speaking to the Asian Voice, he said,
“PHE's continued support of vaping as a safer alternative to smoking makes for welcome reading. Smoking is still the single biggest cause of preventable death and the misinformation that has been circulated in the media over recent months has undoubtedly had a knock-on effect for people’s confidence in the safety of vaping products.
“We have seen this first hand with a significant drop in sales during the last quarter of 2019. There are signs that consumer confidence is returning and in the first two months of 2020 sales have started to bounce back. PHE report will only help restore this confidence. However, I feel it will take some time to convince smokers that vaping is a safe smoking cessation option.”
Swain explains that in terms of product popularity, there is a huge increase in demand for nicotine salt liquids and the market for pod kits seems to continue to grow. He attributes this growth to their simple usage system thus, making them a popular product amongst first time users. In terms of liquid brands, he claims that there is a continuing preference for the popular US and Malaysian brands like Nasty Juice, Twelve Monkeys and Element.
‘Totally Wicked’ vaping products now at Sainsbury
Besides, Vape Superstore, billionaire brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa also operate a 24*7 vaping shop ‘Totally Wicked’ which is the UK’s first dedicated 24*7 vaping store. In 2019 the company announced it was going to be selling its products in more than 440 WHSmith stores. Now, it has announced that its e-liquids will be available to buy in more than 340 Sainsbury's stores nationwide.
There is no smoke or tar involved in e-cigarette smoking, but there are small amounts of chemical flavourings, including diacetyl, which has been linked to lung disease, and propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin. If the e-liquid overheats, formaldehyde can be formed.
The PHE argues for a monitored consumption of vaping. Yet, anti-smoking activists and campaigners across the UK argue that instead of helping the addicts quit their smoking habits, these manufacturers are getting the young people attracted and addicted to increased amounts of flavoured nicotine. This they believe will have an opposite effect on smokers who will then retract back to cigarette smoking patterns.
However, John Britton, director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies addresses his concerns of the PHE report and such “misleading and false fears”. Noting that these findings were “disturbing”, he urged for campaigns to ensure that “all smokers understand that switching to e-cigarettes is one of the most effective ways of quitting smoking and protecting their health”.
Now, PHE’s support for e-cigarettes as a solution to help people quit smoking is also re-asserted by other health authorities, such as the Royal College of Physicians and Cancer Research UK. They highlight that the UK regulates smoking and vaping far more rigorously than the US. The UK health and safety regulations ensure that there is constant monitoring on age, and health warnings, and caps on the nicotine content. Marketing to young people (i.e. anyone below the age of sixteen) is forbidden – e-cigarettes cannot be advertised on TV. There is less nicotine in Juul pods or e-cigarette cartridges sold in the UK. But, the jury continues to be out around vaping and it’s ill-effects on health.
