A study conducted by Boston University received media coverage today, with predictable alarmist and misleading headlines.
“Flavoured e-cigarettes can be deadly” and “lead to strokes and heart attacks”, claim The Sun, with the Daily Star stating similar.
According to the study, nine different vaping flavours were found to ‘slow blood flow’ and ‘increase inflammation’.
Once again – this is an example of a small study in the USA picking up UK headlines, with little regard for the quality of the science and its applicability to the UK vaping market.
Importantly, this was an experiment carried out on human cells in petri dishes. It in no way attempted to mimic the vaping experience. The conductor of the study admitted “further tests were needed” in order for the study to be able to make claims about vapers themselves.
In the UK, the message from the public health community is clear. According to Public Health England, vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking. Vaping was endorsed by the Department for Health in the government’s Tobacco Control Plan, and has received similar backing from Cancer Research, the Royal College of Physicians, the British Medical Association and many more.
These, along with the 1.5 million smokers in the UK who have successfully quit thanks to vaping, are who we should be listening to when it comes to the relative harm of vaping products.