Nearly three years after its first report found vaping to be 95% safer than smoking , PHE is still not backing down.
Once again, US and UK health authorities looked at the same vaping information, but saw two different results. And as usual, only the British researchers saw any benefit.
About two weeks ago, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a 600-page report reluctantly admitting that vaping is safer than smoking, and instead focused on demonstrating a link between vaping and smoking in teens.
But a new report on e-cigarettes from PHE argues that the evidence for the youth link hypothesis in the UK is weak, and turns to the equally untested evidence in the US, almost deliberately mocking the American author.
“Although the Canadian and US surveys cannot be directly compared with the UK data, they share certain similarities,” the PHE report said. “First, e-cigarette use is generally common among adolescents. However, adolescents who have ever smoked are more likely to vape than those who have never smoked.”
“There are concerns that e-cigarette use will lead to young people taking up smoking,” Professor Linda Bauld, author and professor of health policy at the University of Stirling, said in a PHE press conference. “But in the UK, research clearly shows that less than 1% of young people who have never smoked use e-cigarettes, and that smoking is declining at a very encouraging rate.”
This is just a small part of the 243-page report outlining the evidence on e-cigarettes that PHE has gathered since 2016. The report also briefly mentions smokeless tobacco products.
“Based on the available information,” the report concludes, “stating that vaping is 95% safer than smoking is the best way to communicate a difference that is sufficient to encourage smokers to switch to vaping.”
Notably, the report includes a section on false research and results from both researchers and the media that have made threats that have discouraged smokers from using e-cigarettes.
“Our data shows that vaping is much safer than smoking, and does not cause any significant harm to people around you,” Professor John Newton, director of health improvement at PHE, said at a press conference.
“Yet more than half of smokers believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking, or are completely unaware,” he added. “It would be a shame if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of e-cigarettes were put off by unfounded safety concerns.”
The new report also summarises the available evidence on HNB products. The PHE authors refer to HNB as “heated tobacco products”, which is also what manufacturers call them. Several HNB products, including Philip Morris’ IQOS, are already on the UK market.
PHE takes a cautious approach to HNB products, saying they are “less harmful than tobacco but not as safe as e-cigarettes.”
The report is titled, “Evidence review on e-cigarettes and HNB. A report commissioned by PHE.” The lead authors include Ann McNeill, Leonie S Brose, Robert Calder and Debbie Robson.
The four lead authors are all from King's College London, and are all affiliated with the Centre for Alcohol and Tobacco Research.
Nine authors contributed individual chapters to the report, including John Britton, Jamie Brown, Peter Hajek, Lion Shahab, and Robert West. The authors are all well-known figures in the research community on tobacco, nicotine, and addiction worldwide.
The PHE study, “E-cigarettes: An Evidence Update,” which appeared in the summer of 2015, became a sensation. The conclusion that e-cigarettes are 95% safer became a catchphrase for vaping advocates. The first PHE report became the trump card to win any debate about vaping.
Vapers were relieved and excited to finally have confirmation from a national health body. But anti-vaping hordes still attacked, dismissing the 95% safer figure as bogus despite PHE explaining the source of its conclusion.
The first PHE report created a vaping-friendly atmosphere in the UK. The 2015 study was even more comprehensive thanks to the Royal College of Physicians’ involvement. And last year, vaping was included in the UK government’s official tobacco control plan for the first time.
Source: Jim McDonald - Vaping360
Translated by: The Vape Club
