UK Vaping Industry Association Releases Statement On Public Health England's E-Cigarette Review

The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has released a statement on Public Health England’s e-cigarette review.

The UKVIA released their statement on the review the same day that Public Health England (PHE) published the findings of their review – a review which was conducted by independent tobacco experts.

In their statement, the UKVIA called the number of smokers that haven’t yet tried a vaping product “shocking” given that “the evidence quite clearly demonstrates it is the most effective way” to reduce or stop smoking.

“It is shocking that 40% of smokers haven’t even tried a vaping product to reduce or stop smoking, when the evidence quite clearly demonstrates it is the most effective way.”

They went on to question legislation that has effectively banned the vaping industry from advertising the research pertaining to the health implications of vaping while noting that it is their belief that “the industry must be allowed to communicate effectively with smokers” in order to “persuade the UK’s remaining 7 million smokers that there is a viable, effective, safer alternative to smoking” — an obvious reference to vaping.

“If we are to persuade the UK’s remaining 7 million smokers that there is a viable, effective, safer alternative to smoking, then the industry must be allowed to communicate effectively with smokers. Why is the vaping industry itself explicitly banned from advertising the research that Public Health England have reported on today?”

The UKVIA then went on to call on the UK government to “deliver on its commitment to review and reform vaping related regulation” as in order to “create a system that better reflects the public health reality.”

“Professor Newton is absolutely right that it would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit are put off because of false claims and junk science. That’s why the government must deliver on its commitment to review and reform vaping related regulation as we leave the EU to create a system that better reflects the public health reality.”

Professor John Newton, the Health Improvement director at Public Health England, was quoted by PHE as having said that someone is admitted to a hospital in the United Kingdom every minute and that there are “around 79,000 deaths a year in England alone.” He added that their review “reinforces the finding that vaping is a fraction of the risk of smoking, at least 95% less harmful, and of negligible risk to bystanders.” He then noted that regardless of the significance of these findings to smokers, “over half of smokers either falsely believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking or just don’t know.”

“Our new review reinforces the finding that vaping is a fraction of the risk of smoking, at least 95% less harmful, and of negligible risk to bystanders. Yet over half of smokers either falsely believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking or just don’t know.”

In summary, Newton said it “would be tragic” if the “thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about their safety.”

“It would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about their safety.”

The UK Vaping Association shared its statement on the PHE’s e-cig review in its entirety on Twitter, which can be seen below.

Here's our statement on @PHE_uk's e-cigarette review published today. Hugely welcome – but the industry needs to be able to communicate these facts themselves. #vaping #health pic.twitter.com/lz7l5RPgjV

— UKVIA (@Vaping_Industry) February 6, 2018