Vaping fiction busters.

Smoking harms health because tobacco is burned. Burning tobacco creates thousands of chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer, heart disease and lung disease.

Vapes do not burn tobacco. For smokers who switch completely from smoking to vaping, exposure to many of the harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke is greatly reduced. Current evidence shows that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, although it is not risk-free. [cochrane.org], [ncsct.co.uk]

Vaping is intended for adult smokers. It is not recommended for children, young people or people who have never smoked.

Second-hand tobacco smoke is known to be harmful and can cause serious health problems.

Vape aerosol is different from cigarette smoke. It does not contain tar or carbon monoxide and contains far lower levels of harmful substances than tobacco smoke.

While some people may find vapour unpleasant, the evidence does not show that second-hand vapour presents the same risks as second-hand smoking. [nice.org.uk], [ncsct.co.uk]

A major review of the available evidence found that nicotine vapes are one of the most effective tools available to help adults stop smoking. The review looked at 80 clinical studies involving almost 30,000 people and found that nicotine vapes helped more people quit smoking than nicotine replacement therapies such as patches and gum. [cochrane.org], [bmj.com]

The evidence supporting vaping as a quit aid is now so strong that:

• NICE recommends that smokers should be given information about vaping as one of the options available to help them quit smoking or reduce the harm caused by smoking. [nice.org.uk], [nice.org.uk]
• The UK Government funded the national Swap-to-Stop programme, which provided free vape starter kits alongside stop smoking support. [parliament.uk]
• Many NHS Trusts, Local Authority Stop Smoking Services and community smoking cessation programmes now include vape-supported quit pathways. [ncsct.co.uk], [ncsct.co.uk], [ncsct.co.uk]

The best results are usually achieved when vaping is combined with professional stop smoking support. [cochrane.org], [ncsct.co.uk]

The UK Government launched the Swap-to-Stop programme to help adult smokers move away from cigarettes. The scheme provided free nicotine vape starter kits and behavioural support through local stop smoking services. [parliament.uk]

The programme was supported by Government funding in 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 before being incorporated into wider local public health funding. [parliament.uk], [ncsct.co.uk]

The Government also provided an additional £70 million for local stop smoking services in England. [gov.uk], [gov.uk]

Today, many NHS organisations and Local Authority Stop Smoking Services provide vape-supported quit programmes as part of their smoking cessation offer. [ncsct.co.uk], [ncsct.co.uk], [ncsct.co.uk]

Nicotine is addictive and is present in cigarettes, many vapes and many stop smoking products.

However, smoking addiction is not just about nicotine. Cigarettes also contain thousands of other chemicals created by burning tobacco.

Many people who switch from smoking to vaping gradually reduce their nicotine strength over time. Some go on to stop using nicotine completely.

For smokers who cannot become nicotine-free immediately, switching from smoking to vaping is considered a much lower-risk option. [cochrane.org], [ncsct.co.uk]

This myth comes from concerns about a flavouring ingredient called diacetyl, which was linked to lung disease in factory workers exposed to very high levels in industrial settings.

UK vape products are tightly regulated and public health organisations do not consider popcorn lung to be a recognised risk from regulated vape products sold in the UK today. [ncsct.co.uk], [nice.org.uk]

While becoming completely nicotine-free may be the long-term goal for some people, switching completely from smoking to vaping can significantly reduce exposure to the harmful chemicals that cause smoking-related disease.

For smokers who would otherwise continue smoking, moving to vaping represents an important health improvement. [cochrane.org], [ncsct.co.uk]