New Research Indicates Vaping Is At Least 95 Percent Less Harmful Than Smoking

New research has indicated that vaping is at least 95 percent less harmful than smoking.

The research was carried out by Public Health England earlier this year, who claim that 44 percent of smokers wrongly believe vaping is just as harmful.

In order to counteract this misunderstanding, the agency has released a film in which an experiment demonstrates the damaging impact of smoking, by contrast to vaping.

In the video, smoking expert Dr Lion Shahab and Dr Rosemary Leonard demonstrate just how much tar accumulates in the body as a result of smoking.

While not entirely risk-free, vaping has been proven to be a more effective means of quitting smoking than simply attempting to go cold turkey. Around 2.5 million people in England use e-cigarettes and they have helped thousands to quit smoking.

As such, Professor John Newton, Director of Health Improvement at Public Health England, thinks it is vital that people aren't put off vaping by unfounded health concerns.

He said: "It would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about safety. We need to reassure smokers that switching to an e-cigarette would be much less harmful than smoking.

"This demonstration highlights the devastating harms caused by every cigarette and helps people see that vaping is likely to pose only a fraction of the risk.

"We want to encourage more smokers to try and quit completely with the help of an e-cigarette, or by using other nicotine replacement such as patches or gum, as this will significantly improve their chances of success.

"If you're trying to stop smoking, our free online Personal Quit Plan will help you find the support that's right for you."

Smoking increases the risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions, including cancer and heart disease, and doubles the risk of dying from a stroke.

Dr Shahab said: "The false belief that vaping is as harmful as smoking could be preventing thousands of smokers from switching to e-cigarettes to help them quit.

"I hope this illustrative experiment helps people see the huge damage caused by smoking that could be avoided by switching to an e-cigarette.

"Research we and others have conducted shows that vaping is much less harmful than smoking and that using e-cigarettes on a long-term basis is relatively safe, similar to using licensed nicotine products, like nicotine patches or gum.

"Using e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement such as patches or gum will boost your chances of quitting successfully."

To make your own Personal Quit Plan and find additional support materials and advice, visit the NHS Smokefree page.

Featured Image Credit: Public Health England

Topics: UK News, News, Smoking

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey