A Weekly Look at What’s Happening in the World of Vaping

British Heart Foundation E-Cig vs Tobacco Study

Scientists from Dundee University Scotland are planning an extensive study looking at the effect on Health of e-cigarettes against the effects of tobacco.

135 people who have smoked at least 15 cigarettes a day for two years will be monitored closely for changes in their ‘blood vessel function’ – a known pointer to overall health.

There will be three groups one of which will continue to smoke tobacco – group two will be given e-cigarettes with flavouring and nicotine and the third group will be given flavoured e-cigarettes without nicotine.

Researcher Dr Jacob George from the university said:

E-cigarettes are sold on the principle that they are a much safer alternative to traditional cigarettes because they don’t contain harmful substances like tobacco and tar.

However, many e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which may be harmful to blood vessels itself.
We want to see whether the e-cigarettes are better for blood vessel function compared to traditional cigarettes.

Many people seem to think that this is the case but as yet there is no hard scientific evidence to prove this

Anyone wishing to participate in the research should contact: vesuvius @ dundee.ac.uk

Rise in UK Smokers Quitting Thanks to Vaping

A study from the British Medical Journal has shown that more UK smokers are quitting thanks to the rise in use of e-cigarettes.

Interestingly the research has shown that as Vaping and e-cigarettes becomes more popular it has had no effect on smokers planning to quit however more have managed to stop!

However the good news is that through vaping over 18,000 MORE people quit in the UK in 2015 but given this was merely an ‘observational study’ vaping cannot be linked to the so called ’cause and effect’ of these numbers.

The research was carried out by a team from the University College London and also Cancer Research UK and the findings were taken from data previously collected by The Smoking Toolkit Study and also the NHS Stop Smoking Service.

Lead scientist Prof Robert West at UCL said:

The increased prevalence of e-cigarettes in England does not appear to have been associated with a detectable change in attempts to stop smoking.
However, the increase in e-cigarette use has been associated with an increase in success of quit attempts.

Prof Linda Bauld from Cancer Research UK said:

The British public have voted with their feet and are choosing to use e-cigarettes. This is a positive choice, and we should promote it.

[Source: The BMJ]

Malboro Men Pushing New ‘Vape Style’ Tobacco Product

Big tobacco giants Phillip Morris Inc – those behind the infamous Marlboro cigarettes – are planning to submit a new tobacco heating device to the FDA for scrutiny.

The iQOS contains a rolled up tobacco cartridge and is heated rather than burned.

Phillip Morris are planning to release the device to the FDA for approval later this year – a move that could incite a backlash from the vaping industry and health watchdogs.

The company says they’ve invested $2billion in the product and has a huge team of scientists working around the clock to ‘prove’ this way of smoking tobacco is ‘less harmful’ and they plan a so called ‘modified risk tobacco product’ application to the FDA.

The device is currently proving popular in Italy and Japan with what the company has called ’embassies’ opening up offering samples.

Philip Morris spokesman Paul Riley said:

Our goal for Japan is to switch every consumer we have to this.
For me, it’s like a no-brainer. The biggest thing is we know that smoking kills. If we’ve got an alternative to that, that’s a pretty good reason to switch.

It’s understood that other tobacco companies including British American Tobacco are planning to begin selling similar devices in the near future.

NOTE: It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this!

[various sources inc: Bloomberg]

Studies on E-Cigarettes are Leading to Public and Scientific Confusion

A new report says scientists are indeed confused over the effects of e-cigarettes mainly because there’s too many limited studies and research going on.

For instance a report in the Lancet found vaping made it harder to quit smoking whilst another in Plos One said vaping and electronic cigarettes made it much easier!

In a nutshell some scientists find that vaping is bad – whilst others find that vaping is good – so what’s the truth here!

A new study [lol] from independent health think tank Cochrane says much of the research done over the past few years has been deemed ‘randomized control trials’ however in reality they were more like surveys – hence the apparent anecdotal evidence rather than hard scientific facts.

However co-author of the Cochrane report – Jamie Hartmann-Boyce – told the Guardian newspaper:

The good news is there’s lots of research going on – finally.

The most recent update of the Cochrane review found 26 studies in the pipeline that will help answer questions about the safety and effect of using e-cigarettes to quit smoking.

The more studies we have looking at a question, the more certain we can be about the answer.

{sources: The Guardian – Cochrane]

World Health Organization Attacks Vaping

In thumbs down to vapers and vaping the World Health Organization [WHO] has called for tougher legislation surrounding e-cigarettes.

Echoing the calls of the EU they want to see a ban on advertising – restriction of sales to minors and unbelievably the banning of e-liquid flavours that may be classed as attractive to children.

As Andrew Allison from the Freedom to Vape says:

That could mean anything. You can produce a report based on dubious research that says a majority of a group of 100 children indicate that they would be more likely to vape if they were offered a strawberry flavoured e-liquid, and then cite WHO as the reason why any strawberry flavour needs banning. In some countries that would be enough!

WHO also calls for a total ban on vaping indoors and indeed anywhere smoking is prohibited – this despite recent reports saying there’s no risk from so called ‘passive vaping.’

E-cigarettes will be high on the agenda when WHO members meet in November.

[Read the full WHO report on e-cigarettes HERE]

Annual E-Cigarette Summit to Take Place in London

Experts from health organizations vape advocates and representatives from the vaping industry will gather for the fourth e-cigarette summit in November.

On the agenda will be:

• How safe is vaping compared to smoking – including long term use
• How do we define the “harm” of e-cigarettes in context of public health
• Will stricter regulations protect public health and create safer products
• Do e-cigarettes help people to quit smoking – should they be prescribed
• What does the evidence say about gateway
• Are there health risks through second hand vapour for non-users
• Has the Public Health response to e-cigarettes served the public
• If e-cigarettes are so good, why aren’t all smokers using them

The organizers say the event is a ‘neutral platform’ where opposing sides to the effects of e-cigarettes can debate the issues.

[source: E-Cigarette Summit]

Vaping News Clips

A huge round of applause to the Stop Smoking Service Leics who not only has one of the most e-cig user friendly health websites – but has also rolled out a number of eye-catching street ads.

From January next year vapers in Portugal will be limited to where they can vape as new legislation comes in.

If you’re heading to Borneo anytime soon the Government there has decided to allow cafes and restaurants to make their decision on whether to allow vaping in their establishments!

US based e-cig company Vapor Shark has become the first in the vaping industry to be awarded the ISO 9001:2015 standard for quality management systems. Auditors visited the company labs and checked everything from their e-liquid formulas – bottling and packaging.

One month after the FDA’s new vaping and e-liquid regulations came into force and they have sent out 50 warning letters to online retailers and stores after apparent sales to minors were detected. They now have a fortnight to explain to the FDA how they will stop further breaches with repeat ‘offenders’ receiving up to a $275 fine.

And Finally…

The Daily Mail [Daily Fail as I call it] has featured Titus Edwards from Houston Texas who they claim is the ‘world’s greatest’ vape trickster.

His signature move is the ‘Jellyfish’ a trick I’ve tried on numerous occasions however mine tend to look more like the ectoplasm from Ghostbusters

So legendary are his vaping skills folks now call him King Titus – ruler of the vape – apparently.

Right I’m off to practice my jellyfishing – probably…

Vape On!

[shuffles papers]