# Regarding the article on Vaping

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-the-article-on-vaping/833494>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [May 5, 2019, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-the-article-on-vaping/833494 "2019-05-05T02:36:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Haldurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/51bf81/32.png) [@Haldurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haldurson)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-the-article-on-vaping/833494/1 "2019-05-05T02:36:05Z")

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I understand that the research is not all there currently regarding Vaping. But I found this article interesting. It’s from the Mayo Clinic and they postulate that Vaping is a gateway drug for smoking tobacco: [Mayo Clinic Minute: Is vaping a gateway to smoking? - Mayo Clinic News Network](https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-is-vaping-a-gateway-to-smoking/)

I was surprised that you were so positive about Vaping. My policy is 'when in doubt, recommend caution. If you are going to feel silly about being wrong, at least you don’t feel silly AND guilty about convincing people to do something that may turn out to be very unhealthy.

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-the-article-on-vaping/833494/2 "2019-05-05T03:15:33Z")

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I assume this is the article you’re commenting on?

[Are electronic cigarettes noncarcinogenic?](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3110/are-electronic-cigarettes-noncarcinogenic/)

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**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-the-article-on-vaping/833494/3 "2019-05-06T14:28:07Z")

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> **[Public Health England maintains vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/28/vaping-is-95-safer-than-smoking-claims-public-health-england)**
>
> As scepticism rises, PHE says e-cigarettes could help more people quit smoking

> [@](#):
>
> The government is launching a new campaign to try to convince the UK’s smokers that vaping is not as harmful as smoking and a good way to quit, in a bid to counter the scepticism generated by some scientific studies and media headlines.
> 
> Public Health England (PHE), which maintains that vaping is 95% less harmful than tobacco, is releasing a short video of an experiment which reveals the amount of sticky black tar that accumulates in the lungs of a heavy smoker, collected in a bell jar. By contrast, the same nicotine intake through vaping releases only a trace of residue.
> 
> “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 safety,” said Prof John Newton, director of health improvement at PHE.

> **[Clearing up some myths around e-cigarettes – UK Health Security Agency](https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2018/02/20/clearing-up-some-myths-around-e-cigarettes/)**
>
> Not surprisingly, there are lots of inaccuracies and misconceptions about e-cigarettes and vaping. This blog looks at some of the most common myths and provides the facts.

> [@](#):
>
> MYTH 5 - E-cigarettes will lead young people into smoking
> 
> Our latest report found no evidence so far to support the concern that e-cigarettes are a route into smoking among young people. UK surveys show that young people are experimenting with e-cigarettes, but regular use is rare and confined almost entirely to those who already smoke. Meanwhile, smoking rates among young people in the UK continue to decline.
> 
> There is also no evidence to support the assertion that vaping is “normalising smoking”. In the years when adult and youth vaping in the UK were increasing, the numbers of young people believing that it was ‘not ok’ to smoke was accelerating. Of course, PHE will continue to monitor the trends in e-cigarette use alongside those in smoking.