Is Vaping Safe? Here’s What the Experts Say

You know that vaping is an alternative to tobacco use and that it means you’re no longer inhaling smoke – which is a good thing.

Whether you’re already a vaper or are considering trying vaping for the first time, one of the top questions on your mind is probably this one: Is vaping safe? You know that vaping is an alternative to tobacco use and that it means you’re no longer inhaling smoke – which is a good thing. On the other hand, vaping also means that you’re inhaling other substances such as vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol and flavours – and many of those substances are not in tobacco smoke. Experts tend to agree that all nicotine use represents a continuum of risk and that the safest thing is to not use nicotine at all. However, most medical professionals also agree that eliminating smoke means that you’ll significantly reduce the risk associated with nicotine use. As such, vaping could go down as one of the most important advancements of all time in the field of public health. For those who already smoke cigarettes and either can’t or won’t quit, we believe that vaping is the next best option.  In this article about the safety of vaping, we’ll share the opinions of some of the most respected members of the medical community. 

Public Health England Supports Vaping

In 2019, Public Health England commissioned a report on vaping from a panel of tobacco control experts. The report focused on vaping among adults and children, and it evaluated the use of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids. The report made the following conclusions: 

• The British government should license an e-cigarette as a medical product and make it available through the public healthcare system. Making e-cigarettes available to all smokers would likely increase adoption rates.
• Underage vaping rates in Britain remain very low. In addition, most of the young people who have tried vaping are also current or former cigarette smokers. Just 0.2 percent of children aged 11-18 vape and have never used tobacco. The report also indicates that smoking rates among young people have declined from 1998-2015.
• Britain’s smoking rate among adults is currently estimated at 13.7-17.3 percent, while the vaping rate is estimated at 5.4-6.2 percent. 
• Less people are utilizing Britain’s public smoking cessation services than in the past. It is possible that the increase in vaping has something to do with that trend. Vaping is now the most popular method of smoking cessation in the U.K.
• Health practitioners should take the time to learn more about vaping and should recommend it as a support method for patients who smoke.

Public Health England recognizes vaping as a valid method for quitting smoking. 

Vaping Is a Major Gain for Tobacco Harm Reduction

In 2016, the Royal College of Physicians released a major report detailing the potential impact of vaping on public health and tobacco harm reduction. The report notes that vaping has become much more popular than traditional nicotine replacement therapies in Britain. While traditional nicotine replacement is probably safer than vaping, the report states that vaping is likely to be at least 95 percent less harmful than smoking. The physicians compiling the report believe that strong quality control standards can help to make vaping as safe as possible. The report also states that physicians should support and promote vaping as a nicotine replacement option among patients who smoke cigarettes. 

Long-Term Vaping Study by Cancer Research UK Is Extremely Positive

In 2017, Cancer Research UK published a long-term vaping study in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The study analysed various biological markers among tobacco users and vapers, finding that vapers have drastically lower levels of known carcinogens and toxins in their bodies. In particular, a chemical known to be a marker for lung cancer was 97 percent less prevalent among full-time vapers. The study also noted that it is possible for vapers to achieve the same blood-nicotine levels as tobacco users. 

Vapers More Likely to Try to Quit Smoking

In 2016, the British Medical Journal published a study examining the role of vaping in smoking cessation. To compile the study, researchers used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study dating from 2006-2015. The Smoking Toolkit Study monitored 1,200 smokers quarterly over the duration of the study. The researchers found a clear correlation between e-cigarette use and success in quitting smoking. While smokers who switch to vaping are less likely to seek prescription quit-smoking aids from their physicians, they are more likely to quit smoking successfully. The study also found that, the longer a smoker vapes, the more likely he or she will be to quit smoking. Researchers from Georgetown University examined similar survey data gathered in the United States and came to the same conclusion – that consistent e-cigarette use is an effective aid to smoking cessation. The same researchers found a direct correlation between the increase in vaping and a sharp decline in smoking rates in the U.S.  

UK Public Health System Sets the Example

A paper published by the Adam Smith Institute – a non-profit British think tank – praises the U.K. government for its relatively liberal stance on vaping and holds British vaping policies up as an example that the rest of the world should emulate. The paper calls vaping a win-win for everyone involved and says that vaping presents a valid option for harm reduction for those who want to continue using nicotine as well as a method of smoking cessation for those who want to discontinue nicotine use. The paper also notes that vaping can potentially save tens of thousands of lives per year in Britain while greatly reducing the burden that sick smokers place on the healthcare system. 

New Zealand Ministry of Health Supports Vaping

It is the goal of our Ministry of Health to make New Zealand virtually smoke free by 2025. Currently, about 15 percent of New Zealanders smoke. The Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 program aims to reduce the smoking rate to less than 5 percent in a little over five years. The Ministry of Health believes that vaping is a good way to advance that goal and says that vaping is “less harmful than smoking.”