A report published today by Public Health England (PHE) has concluded that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or e-cigs) are 95% less harmful to health than traditional cigarettes. In addition, they are also considered a potential solution to help addicts quit smoking and in the future the UK's National Health Service (NHS) may prescribe them as a regular pharmaceutical device.
Professor Ann McNeil from King's College London said: "E-cigs could be a game-changer for public health, in particular in reducing the health risks associated with smoking." According to research by PHE, nearly half of the UK population (44.8%) do not realise that smoking or inhaling e-cigs is less dangerous than smoking traditional cigarettes. In fact, more and more people believe that e-cigs are just as dangerous as traditional cigarettes, with 22.1% of the population holding this view in 2015, up from 8.1% in 2013. PHE does not suggest that e-cigs are completely safe, but believes that public awareness of e-cigs could encourage smokers to switch to e-cigs and eventually quit the habit altogether. Professor Kevin Fenton, director of health and wellbeing at PHE, said: “Local smoking cessation services can support e-cig users on their journey to quitting smoking completely.”
