A report published today by Public Health England (PHE) has concluded that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or e-cigs) are 95% less harmful to health than traditional cigarettes. In addition, they are also considered a potential solution to help addicts quit smoking and in the future the UK's National Health Service (NHS) may prescribe them as a regular pharmaceutical device.
Professor Ann McNeil from King's College London said: "E-cigs could be a game changer in public health, specifically in reducing the health risks posed by tobacco." According to research by PHE, nearly half of the UK population (44.8%) do not realise that smoking or inhaling e-cigarettes is less dangerous than smoking traditional cigarettes. In fact, more and more people believe that e-cigarettes are just as dangerous as traditional cigarettes, with 22.1% of the population still holding this view in 2015, up from 8.1% in 2013. PHE does not suggest that e-cigarettes are completely safe, but believes that public awareness of e-cigarettes could encourage smokers to switch to e-cigarettes and eventually quit the habit altogether. Professor Kevin Fenton, director of health and wellbeing at PHE, said: "Local smoking cessation services can support e-cig users on their journey to quitting smoking completely."
