April 28, 2016

expert reaction to new report on e-cigarettes and public health

A report by the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians has looked at the effect of e-cigarettes on smoking and nicotine use in the UK.

Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said:

“Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart health. Smoking directly causes heart disease, respiratory disease, as well as many cancers; and despite 70% of smokers wanting to quit, there are still nearly nine million adults in the UK who smoke.

“E-cigarettes are new devices commonly used by smokers that deliver nicotine without tobacco, and are an effective way of reducing the harm caused. We welcome this report which says that e-cigarettes can be an effective aid to potentially reduce harm from smoking and lower the risk of death and disability.

“There are 2.6 million e-cigarette users in the UK, and many smokers are using them to help quit. Although more research is needed to establish the long term safety of e-cigarettes, they are likely to cause significantly less harm to your health than smoking tobacco.”

‘Nicotine without smoke’ be published by the Royal College of Physicians on Thursday 28 April 2016.