Switch to e-cigs, say NHS chiefs
HEALTH bosses have urged smokers to ditch traditional cigarettes for vaping.
A report by NHS Health Scotland says switching to e-cigarettes would be a ‘good thing’ as it is less risky. And although the effects of vaping on the human body are still unknown, the health watchdog recognised it is a ‘useful’ tool to help people quit entirely.
But the report also warns that the use of e-cigarettes while still smoking does not give any health benefits.
Dr Andrew Fraser, of NHS Health Scotland, said: ‘We know from current evidence that vaping carries less risk than smoking tobacco.’
SMOKERS have been told to switch over to electronic cigarettes in a landmark report by NHS experts.
Leading doctors and health charities have written a joint statement with the aim of clearing up confusion about the harms and benefits of vaping compared to smoking.
The experts conclude it would be ‘a good thing’ if smokers switched to vaping instead of using tobacco because it carries less risk.
But they also warn that the use of e-cigarettes while still smoking does not give any health benefits.
The move has been led by Scotland’s public health watchdog, NHS Health Scotland.
One in five Scots smokes tobacco and although rising numbers now use e-cigarettes, the proportion is far lower at only 7 per cent.
The safety of vaping is uncertain because of a lack of long-term data, while studies have reached different conclusions.
E-cigarettes are thought to contain harmful chemicals but at a much lower level than in their conventional counterparts.
They are also addictive because the nicotine in them can cause dependency.
But in the joint statement, experts now say that while the long-term effects of vaping are unknown, it is still safer than smoking tobacco.
Dr Andrew Fraser, director of public health science at NHS Health Scotland, said: ‘Recent research has shown an emerging perception among the general public that e-cigarettes are just as harmful to health as tobacco is.
‘This is not the case. We know from current evidence that vaping carries less risk than smoking tobacco. So it would be a good thing if smokers used e-cigarettes instead of smoking tobacco.’
But Dr Fraser added: ‘To be absolutely clear, e-cigarettes are useful for public health and health service purposes only as a potential route towards stopping smoking.
‘Access to e-cigarettes needs to be controlled carefully. They are not products for children or non-smokers.’
The consensus statement was issued in collaboration with health charities including Cancer Research UK. It has also been signed by a number of NHS health boards and public health directors.
There are about 10,000 smokingrelated deaths in Scotland a year, plus around 128,000 hospital admissions. Smoking tobacco is estimated to reduce life expectancy by around ten years and costs the NHS in Scotland £323million a year.
Linda Bauld, professor of health policy at the University of Stirling and head of Behavioural Research for Cancer Prevention at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘It is good to see NHS Health Scotland and partners making it clear that e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco.
‘We also need to get the point across to people that based on what we know to date, that dual use – using e-cigarettes without stopping smoking – is still bad for your health. So we would encourage anyone who is using both to stop smoking tobacco as soon as they can.’
Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland, said: ‘This brings some clarity to an issue which has caused confusion. There is now agreement that vaping e-cigarettes carries less risk than smoking tobacco.
‘Although we still don’t know the long-term health effects of vaping, we can be confident that any smoker switching entirely to e-cigarettes will be taking in far fewer cancer-causing chemicals.
‘Tobacco is lethal and I’d encourage anyone who smokes to find a way of quitting that works for them – which could include using e-cigarettes – and to make use of the free NHS stop-smoking support available to help.’