ONE in 10 adults are now long-term vapers as e-cigarette use has risen nearly tenfold in a decade, a study found.
Research by University College London found about 10 per cent of people in England have used vapes for six months or longer.
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A massive one in four 18-year-olds – 23 per cent – have taken up the habit.
It is catching up with traditional cigarette smoking, on 13 per cent, and has already surpassed it in younger age groups.
Most people have only started vaping since 2021, during a boom in disposable devices.
Experts fear non-smokers are risking their health.
For non-smokers, vaping over a sustained period will expose them to harm
Dr Sarah Jackson
Study author Dr Sarah Jackson said: “Our results show there has been an exceptionally steep rise in the number of young adults vaping for more than six months since new disposable e-cigarettes were introduced to the market.
“While most long-term vapers have a history of smoking, rates have also increased among those who have never regularly smoked.
“For these people, vaping regularly over a sustained period will expose them to more harm than if they had done neither.”
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, recorded a huge rise in regular vapers compared to 10 years ago.
It estimated just 1.3 per cent of adults had used an e-cigarette for six months or more in 2013.
It means a roughly eight-fold increase between then and October 2023, the latest data.
People who had recently quit fags were most likely to vape, with 36 per cent saying they did so compared to six per cent in 2013.
Rates among non-smokers increased from 0.1 per cent to three per cent.
Health experts say vaping is safer than smoking and an important way for addicts to quit, but may be risky for never-smokers.
It comes as ministers will outlaw disposable vapes and those with fruity colours and bright colours, to squash their appeal to teenagers.
Professor Jamie Brown added: “New vaping policies need to curb youth vaping but must be balanced to avoid discouraging smokers from using vaping products to quit smoking.”
Smoking vs. vaping
VAPING has been touted as an effective tool to help people quit smoking.
Though vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, the habit isn’t completely harmless and comes with its own set of risks.
The NHS only recommends it for adult smokers, to support quitting smoking.
GP and author Dr Philippa Kaye explained to The Sun that the differences between vaping and smoking – and whether one is better than the other – is “complicated”.
“In a nutshell, vaping is better than smoking, but breathing air is better than vaping at all.”
Vaping exposes users to far fewer toxins – and at lower levels – than smoking cigarettes.
Switching to vaping significantly reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease, and diseases of the heart and circulation like heart attack and stroke.
These diseases are not caused by nicotine, which is relatively harmless to health. But research has still linked vaping to a higher risk of failure and lung disease.
Health risks of cigarettes
- Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer
- Smokers are at greater risk for diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels
- Smoking can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs
- Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body
- It affects overall health too, such as your mouth, eyes, immune system and fertility
Health risks of vaping
- They can cause side effects such as throat and mouth irritation, headache, cough and feeling sick
- They could lead to tooth decay
- They could damage heart health
- They could cause lung disease
- They could slow brain development
Read more on how vaping can affect your health here.
Sources: NHS, CDC
