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​E-cigarettes ‘Substantially Less Harmful’, Says New Research

​E-cigarettes ‘Substantially Less Harmful’, Says New Research

A new report suggests electronic tabs are 95 per cent less harmful than regular cigs.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Another day, another piece of research about e-cigarettes - and this time it's good news.

Just last week, LADbible revealed how a study by New York University had shown vaping increased the risk of lung and bladder cancer, and heart disease. It found that human cells mutilated when consistently exposed to the smoke.

Now, however, Public Health England, are calling for the e-cigs to actually be available on prescription.

The agency has published research which suggests electronic tabs are 95 per cent less harmful than regular cigs. It also suggests at least 20,000 people a year are quitting smoking with the help of vapes.

via GIPHY

Chug away, it seems. Until the next lot of research at any rate.

"Every minute someone is admitted to hospital from smoking, with around 79,000 deaths a year in England alone," says John Newton, PHE health improvement director. "Our new review reinforces the finding that vaping is a fraction of the risk of smoking. Yet more than half of smokers either falsely believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking or just don't know.

"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 their safety."

The study went further, too, suggesting e-cigs should even be sold in hospital shops and recommending employers provide vaping areas for staff.

"We really want to get the message out that smokers really should consider using an e-cigarette because they're a lot better for them," adds Newton.

WATCH: SHEEP ADDICTED TO CIGARETTES

Ann McNeil, professor of tobacco addiction at King's College London and author of the report, supports the claim.

"When people smoke tobacco cigarettes, they inhale a lethal mix of 7,000 constituents, 70 of which are known to cause cancer," she says. "The constituents in tobacco smoke that cause the harm are either absent or at much lower levels in e-cigarettes so we are confident they are substantially less harmful.

"People smoke for the nicotine - but contrary to what the vast majority believe, nicotine causes little if any of the harm. The toxic smoke is the culprit and is the overwhelming cause of all the tobacco-related disease and death."

Nonetheless, perhaps be cautious. These latest findings follow research conducted by the University of North Carolina in October which, like that New York study, found that vaping may be harmful.

Dr Mehmet Kesimer, who led the study, said: "There is confusion about whether e-cigarettes are safer than cigarettes because the potential adverse effects of e-cigarettes are only beginning to be studied. Our results suggest that they might be just as bad as regular cigarettes."

Credit: Colin Drury

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, Cigarettes