On 14 November 2018, Lynne Dawkins, professor and researcher at the Centre for Addictive Behaviours Research at South Bank University in London, gave a conference to discredit the "hearsay" surrounding the electronic cigarette and to better inform the general public about the true nature of vaping. To build her analysis, she drew on the 7 objections most frequently raised about the e-cigarette. Le Vapoteur Discount summarises the key points of the conference by revisiting the 7 misconceptions discussed.
"We know nothing about vaping"
According to Lynne Dawkins, while this claim may have been true at one time, it no longer is. The researcher points out that knowledge on the subject is constantly evolving, with more than 500 studies conducted every year. Furthermore, it is clear that the general public is indeed very poorly informed on the matter. Indeed, according to a survey published in 2018 by ASH (Action on Smoking and Health), an association fighting against smoking in the United Kingdom, only 17% of people were aware that vaping is preferable to tobacco consumption for health; despite the country having more than 3 million vapers.
"Vaping is not regulated"
On this point, the scientist is equally categorical: the vaping sector is indeed regulated. As she points out, the vast majority of countries around the world have their own legislation on the matter. The European Union, for example, has introduced the TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) to govern the obligations of manufacturers, retailers and consumers. The United States, for their part, have multiple laws to regulate the production, sale and use of vaping products. For reasons of their own, the use of the electronic cigarette is even formally prohibited in certain countries such as Argentina, India and Hong Kong.
"Vaping is used by non-smokers and young people"
To "bust this myth", Lynne Dawkins draws on a regularly updated report by ASH. The latest data (2021) highlights the fact that of the 3.6 million vapers in the United Kingdom, there are nearly 1.1 million smokers, 2.3 million ex-smokers, and only a tiny proportion (0.8%) would have started vaping without having tried cigarettes beforehand. Furthermore, according to a recent study (2020) conducted by British researchers (Shahab, Emma Beard and Jamie Brown), fewer than 1% of teenagers who had tried the electronic cigarette went on to become regular smokers.
"Vaping instead of smoking is just swapping one addiction for another"
To this question, the scientist replies that it is perhaps essentially a matter of individual preference, rather than a genuine public health issue. She points out that while nicotine is the source of addiction, it is not responsible for the harmful effects directly caused by inhaling tobacco smoke. Therefore, using a "cleaner" nicotine substitute such as vaping can only considerably reduce the risk of disease.
"He vapes much more often than he used to smoke"
As Dr. Lynne Dawkins reminds us, it should not be forgotten that the delivery of nicotine through vaporisation is less effective than smoking. This urge to over-consume also stems in most cases from the fact that the e-liquid does not contain enough nicotine to meet the vaper's needs. That is why it is essential to choose an e-liquid suited to one's level of nicotine addiction, in order to achieve effective withdrawal and put an end to over-vaping.
"We don't know the long-term effects of vaping"
The scientist acknowledges that the long-term effects of vaping on health remain unknown to this day, but counters that they will, a fortiori, be far less harmful than those of tobacco consumption; drawing on the study conducted by McNeil et al in 2018. This study tends to prove that the electronic cigarette poses very few health risks, demonstrating a reduction of more than 90% in disease biomarkers. Furthermore, the British Ministry of Health estimates that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than tobacco consumption. A study from 2020, carried out by the Pasteur Institute of Lille, supports this idea by demonstrating that vaping is incomparably less toxic than the cigarette.
"Vaping leads young people to smoke"
The sale and use of electronic cigarettes could soon be entirely prohibited in the United States, due to the dramatic increase in the number of young vapers in recent years. However, the professor contests this data, comparing it with studies conducted in the United Kingdom. She draws in particular on 5 different surveys which tend to show that regular use of the electronic cigarette among young people aged 11 to 16 is limited to smokers, and that very few non-smokers use it! Furthermore, in France, 43% of first-time vapers aged 17 to 18 had never tried a cigarette, according to a recent study by INSERM. The results of this study show a 42% reduction in the risk of becoming a daily smoker at age 18 for those who tried a vaping device first rather than a cigarette. The hypothesis of a possible gateway effect from vaping to tobacco is therefore contradicted.
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Gaelle
2021-12-16
An SEO writer specialising in the vaping world for 5 years, I lend my pen to Le Vapoteur Discount to guide smokers who wish to quit cigarettes [...]
