Following the publication of a review of scientific research which claimed vaping was a ‘gateway’ into smoking, UK Vaping Industry Association Director General John Dunne said the paper’s conclusions did not stand up to scrutiny.
Dunne said: “This report draws upon a number of previous studies where the quality of much of the source material has been described as ‘low’ or ‘critically low’ and this must call into question the conclusions it comes to.
“While research like this makes for great clickbait headlines, it also scares smokers into thinking that vaping – which contains only a small fraction of the health risks of cigarettes – is just as bad for their health.
“The most recent data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) reveals that 53% of smokers believe vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking and this is preventing million of people from even trying to quit.
“Only this week I saw surveys which revealed that former smokers are returning to cigarettes since the single-use vapes ban came into effect and any rise in smoking should set alarm bells ringing.
“We need to stop demonising vaping because until the relative risks of cigarettes and vaping are understood by smokers then 220 people will needlessly die in the UK of smoking-related illnesses every day.
“Sadly, this type of research is all too common. Earlier this year a scientist from Manchester Metropolitan University was criticised as ‘irresponsible’ for claiming that vaping may be as harmful or more harmful than smoking, associating it with increased risks of dementia, heart disease, and organ failure.
“Not only was the research unpublished and not subject to peer review but the alarmist claims are at odds with many years of credible research which concludes that vaping is considerably less harmful than smoking.”
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