UK Study Rebuts WHO Claim That E-Cigarettes Are Harmful

Introduction: Whether e-cigarettes are good or bad, they remain firmly on smokers’ minds. Recently, the BBC website published a report titled “Study: Saying E-Cigarettes Are Harmful Is ‘Alarmist’,” stating that a study by University College London found that warnings about the harms of e-cigarettes are “alarmist,” and that increasing the use of e-cigarettes could actually save lives.

The study concluded that for every 1 million smokers who switch to e-cigarettes, at least 6,000 lives could be saved each year.

According to Heated Tobacco News, the BBC website reported on September 5 under the headline “Study: Saying E-Cigarettes Are Harmful Is ‘Alarmist’” that a study by University College London found warnings about the harms of e-cigarettes to be “alarmist,” and that increased use of e-cigarettes could actually save lives.

The study concluded that for every 1 million smokers who switch to e-cigarettes, at least 6,000 lives could be saved each year.

A separate research report from King’s College and Queen Mary University stated that some of the assumptions made in a previous WHO report were “misleading.”

The World Health Organization recently issued a report calling for e-cigarettes to be banned in public places, arguing that they increase the concentration of certain toxins and nicotine in the air. The report also claimed that e-cigarettes could serve as a gateway for non-smokers to become smokers.

The University College London research team said that, based on surveys of smokers, non-smokers who use e-cigarettes account for only 1% of the population. Researchers added that while e-cigarettes do produce some toxins, the concentrations are very low, and their nicotine and carcinogen levels are not comparable to those of traditional cigarettes.

The WHO has not yet responded to these reports. Some experts have also expressed concern that e-cigarettes may spark the curiosity of people who did not previously smoke, leading young people to start smoking.

However, there is still not enough information and data on e-cigarettes, and more research is needed before their advantages and disadvantages can be properly assessed.

Experts say the most important issue now is how to regulate e-cigarettes, but “you wouldn’t ban mobile phones and computers just because batteries can overheat and explode.”