Health, UK (Commonwealth Union) – The concept of an electronic cigarette can be traced back to the 1960s when inventor Herbert A. Gilbert filed a patent for a “smokeless non-tobacco cigarette.” However, this early attempt at creating a healthier alternative to smoking did not gain much traction, and the idea remained dormant for several decades. In 2003, Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik put forward the invention for the very first commercially successful e-cigarette.
A recent study led by the University College London (UCL) researchers and funded by Cancer Research UK has found that over half of smokers in England mistakenly believe that vaping is just as dangerous or more so than smoking. The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, analyzed survey responses from 28,393 smokers in England between 2014 and 2023. The research team discovered a significant deterioration in public perceptions of e-cigarettes over the past decade, with a general increase in the perceived harm of e-cigarettes since 2021. This shift in opinion coincides with a sharp rise in vaping among young people. In June 2023, 57% of respondents stated that they believed vaping was either equally as hazardous or even more dangerous than smoking, while only 27% thought e-cigarettes were less dangerous.
Dr. Sarah Jackson, the lead author from UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, emphasized, that the implications of these findings for public health are significant, where she further pointed out that the comparative risks of vaping versus smoking are markedly lower, yet this message isn’t being effectively conveyed to the public.
“This misperception is a health risk in and of itself, as it may discourage smokers from substantially reducing their harm by switching to e-cigarettes. It may also encourage some young people who use e-cigarettes to take up smoking for the first time, if they believe the harms are comparable.
“Better communication about the health risks is needed so that adults who smoke can make informed choices about the nicotine products they use.”
The researchers utilized data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, a monthly interview-based survey of approximately 1,700 adults in England, representative of the population.
In 2014, the study revealed that public attitudes towards e-cigarettes were predominantly positive, with 44% of smokers viewing them as less harmful than traditional cigarettes, while only 11% perceived e-cigarettes as more harmful. However, by 2023, this latter figure had doubled to 23%.
A notable decline in the perception of e-cigarettes’ safety occurred in late 2019 and early 2020, coinciding with the outbreak of acute lung injuries in the United States, erroneously linked to nicotine e-cigarettes (the EVALI outbreak), which was later attributed to illicit cannabis vaping products containing vitamin E acetate, as indicated by researchers of the study.
By 2023, merely 19% of non-vaping smokers perceived vaping as less harmful than smoking.
The surge in the percentage of individuals deeming e-cigarettes more harmful than traditional cigarettes was particularly noticeable among those under 35 years old, despite the prevalence of e-cigarette usage being significantly higher within this demographic.
Professor Jamie Brown, the senior author from UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, indicated that “E-cigarettes, being a novelty, have garnered considerable media attention, often exaggerated their health risks when compared to smoking. He further indicated that surprisingly, there’s scant coverage on the fatalities attributed to smoking, despite its yearly toll of 75,000 lives in England alone.
Although perceptions rebounded by late 2020, they experienced a renewed downturn from 2021 to 2023, fueled by mounting concerns over youth vaping, particularly as a significant number of young individuals began using disposable e-cigarettes.
“The Government plans to offer one million smokers a free vaping starter kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit. This initiative may be undermined if many smokers are unwilling to try e-cigarettes because they wrongly believe them to be just as harmful as cigarettes or more so.”
According to the NHS’s online guidance, cigarettes emit thousands of various chemicals upon burning, with many being toxic and up to 70 known to cause cancer. Additionally, cigarettes are linked to various severe health conditions such as lung disease, heart disease, and stroke. The NHS has also pointed out that notably, most of the harmful substances found in tobacco smoke, such as tar and carbon monoxide, are absent in vape aerosol.
