The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) responds to the European Society of Cardiology.
John Dunne, spokesperson for the UKVIA, said:
“The piece published this week in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology is not a new study but rather a ‘position paper’, which sadly deals in generalisations and perpetuates half-truths. The author, Prof Maja-Lisa Løchen (UiT The Arctic University of Norway) alleges that vaping is marketed towards children, but in the UK this could not be further from the truth.
“The UKVIA is at the forefront of youth access prevention, frequently liaising with partners at Trading Standards and elsewhere, to ensure harm reduction products are only used by adult vapers and smokers.
“Furthermore, age aware training and Challenge 25 policies are enshrined in the UKVIA code of conduct, to which all members adhere. It is due to the outstanding levels of professionalism in the UK industry that less than 1% of 11- to 18-year-olds who have never smoked are current vapers.
“The report itself notes that ‘legislation on the marketing and sales of e-cigarettes varies enormously between countries’, which is why sweeping, generalised statements on vaping are frequently inaccurate, misleading and unhelpful.
“Prof Løchen also claims that vaping has a negative impact on heart health, including the stiffening of arteries. However, the University of Dundee, in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, actually found at the end of last year that smokers switching to vaping could significantly improve their vascular health within four weeks, including their blood pressure and stiffness of arteries.
“The report further states that vaping’s effectiveness in smoking-cessation is unclear. Not only is this incorrect, it also runs the risk of deterring smokers who are looking to quit from accessing harm reduction options. A clinical trial at Queen Mary University of London found vaping to be almost twice as effective as NRT, such as patches and gum.
“Moreover, Public Health England in its evidence review of vaping earlier this year stated that the majority of adults use vaping to help them quit smoking. The government agency also highlighted in its review that perceptions of harm among smokers are increasingly out of line with the evidence and that incorrect perceptions could prevent some smokers using vape products to quit smoking.”