Most common myths about use of e-cigarettes

The Government has recently announced its ‘Tobacco Control Plan’ which aims to slash smoking rates from 15.5% to 12% of the population by 2022.

Despite the obvious health and monetary benefits for stopping smoking, vaping has been suffering a bit of an image problem recently, with attacks claiming it is a gateway to smoking for young people, and causes health problems for the user and those around them.

The NHS reports cigarette smoking “is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in England, accounting for more than 80,000 deaths each year. One in two smokers will die from a smoking-related disease.”

According to the Action on Smoking and Health, 2.9 million people now vape in Britain, with half saying they are using it to stop smoking, something that is encouraged by the NHS, Public Health England and The Royal College of Physicians, which explains:

“In the interests of public health, it is important to promote the use of e-cigarettes, NRT and other non-tobacco nicotine products as widely as possible as a substitute for smoking in the UK.”

Vaping is also a cheaper alternative to smoking. The price of tobacco products has rocketed by 99% since 2005 with inflation and the increase of taxation. Just this year, the Chancellor Philip Hammond, announced in the Spring Budget, the average price of a pack of 20 premium cigarettes would rise from £9.91 to £10.26 under new taxation. According to ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) A 20-a-day smoker of a premium brand will spend about £3,600 a year on cigarettes.

To further comment on why vaping isn’t dangerous compared to smoking a cigarette, Graham McKenzie, Flavour Boss Operations Director says:

Second-hand smoke from cigarettes increases a non-smoker's risk of getting lung cancer by a quarter. And with the big clouds of vapor that e-cigs create, you could be mistaken for thinking that it’s very dangerous for those around you too.

But the big difference between e-cigs and traditional cigarettes is the lack of burning, because e-cigs heat up electronically and not through burning, no smoke is actually released. The vapor clouds are actually made of water vapor, containing propylene glycol and/or glycerin.