Setting the record straight

Public Health England (PHE) is trying to dispel some of the persistent inaccuracies and misconceptions that surround electronic cigarettes and vaping.

Writing on the Gov.uk Blogs website, Martin Dockrell, PHE’s tobacco control programme lead, said that e-cigarettes tended to court controversy among the public and media alike. Not surprisingly, there were lots of inaccuracies and misconceptions about e-cigarettes and vaping.

‘Our latest comprehensive independent e-cigarette review, authored by leading academics in the tobacco control field, looks at the up-to-date international data and peer-reviewed research,’ Dockrell said.

‘Despite the sometimes confused, and confusing, media reporting around the safety of e-cigarettes, there is growing consensus around the evidence. While not without some risk, when compared to smoking e-cigarettes are far less harmful.

‘This view is supported by a number of key bodies, including Cancer Research UK, Action on Smoking and Health, the Royal College of Physicians, the British Medical Association and, recently, a major US science body, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.’

Dockrell then goes on to examine and debunk five common myths about e-cigarettes and vaping.

In summary, he said, e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes were not the same and shouldn’t be treated as such. ‘It’s important that England’s seven million smokers are aware of the differences and have accurate information to inform their health decisions. E-cigarettes aren’t completely risk free but carry a fraction of the risk of smoking and are helping thousands of smokers to quit and stay smoke-free.’

Dockrell’s blog is at: https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2018/02/20/clearing-up-some-myths-around-e-cigarettes/