E-cigarette report ‘an incredibly important milestone

British American Tobacco has welcomed a report issued this week by Public Health England that, in part, says vaping electronic cigarettes is about 95 percent less harmful than is smoking tobacco.

“This report by Public Health England, which concludes that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than cigarettes, is an incredibly important milestone for the e-cigarette industry and its consumers, said BAT’s chief scientific officer, Chris Proctor, in a note posted on the company’s website.

“The review helps to de-bunk the myths around e-cigarettes and equip adult smokers with the facts they need to make informed choices.

“There are many misconceptions around this new product category and this review has provided adult smokers with greater clarity around the relative safety of e-cigarettes which should give them greater confidence to use them rather than cigarettes.

“We’re confident that by making research on the relative safety of e-cigarettes available to consumers, and by ensuring proper product quality and safety, this important product category with the potential to have a positive impact on public health can prosper.”

The report entitled ‘E-cigarettes: an evidence update’, concludes that:

• Vaping electronic cigarettes is about 95percent less harmful than is smoking tobacco;
• Nearly half the UK population doesn’t realize that vaping electronic cigarettes is much less harmful than is tobacco smoking;
• There is no evidence so far that electronic cigarettes are acting as a route into smoking for children or non-smokers;
• Almost all of the 2.6 million adults using electronic cigarettes in Great Britain are current or ex-smokers; and
• Electronic cigarettes have the potential to help smokers quit smoking.

In its note, BAT said that it was committed to offering adult smokers a range of quality reduced risk products that provided them with greater choice and assurances regarding product quality.