Don’t give up on your vapes

VAPING, in the long term, could be just as bad for the heart as smoking tobacco – so claimed numerous reports last week. This alarmed me, given that e-cigarettes are an NHS-backed way to quit. But the stories weren’t accurate.

The study behind the stories involved exposing mice to high doses of the chemicals used in vapes for long periods, giving the poor rodents palpitations.

The only real lesson is: don’t expose your pet mouse to large amounts of vape fumes.

There is no evidence vaping has a significant negative effect on health, but we know cigarettes are dreadful for us. No doctor would recommend non-smokers start vaping but many teenagers do just that, and it needs to be harder for youngsters to buy vapes.

But for smokers, vaping could still be a lifesaver.