Agenda item - Formal Member Involvement

57.1 Councillor Taylor asked the following question:

Following studies from Public Health England in 2016 and the Annals of Medicine in 2017 vaping was recommended as a safer alternative to tobacco and in particular in supporting smoking cessation. Given news that there is some evidence that vaping itself may be carcinogenic there has been much public concern on their safety. Subsequent reports have shown that this new evidence is specifically referring to nicotine which is of course consumed by smoking. Can the Chair of the HWB reassure residents of this city that vaping is safe?

57.2    The Chair gave the following response:

It is very timely as Public Health England has recently (February 2018) updated its evidence review of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

As regards the health risks of electronic cigarettes the 2018 report has reviewed the available evidence. It is still relatively early in terms of longer-term effects of electronic cigarettes.  The report refers to an assessment of the published data on emissions from cigarettes and electronic cigarettes which calculated the lifetime cancer risks. It concluded that the cancer potencies of electronic cigarettes were largely under 0.5% of the risk of smoking. In 2015 an expert review from Public Health England stated that the best estimate was that electronic cigarettes are around 95% less harmful than smoking. In 2016 the Royal College of Physicians came to a similar conclusion.

As regards the safety of nicotine the 2018 report states that “While nicotine has effects on physiological systems that could theoretically lead to health harms the long-term use of nicotine as smokeless tobacco (snus) has not been found to increase the risk of serious health problems in adults, and use of nicotine replacement therapy by pregnant smokers has not been found to increase risk to the foetus.  Adolescent nicotine use (separate from smoking) needs more research.  The long-term impact of nicotine from e-cigarettes on lung tissue is not yet known and may be different from its impact systemically.” The report also states that no health risks of passive vaping to bystanders have been identified to date.

The advice to cigarette smokers is that it is better to stop smoking completely than to change to electronic cigarettes.  Specialist help to stop smoking is available locally from pharmacies and GP surgeries. However, for smokers who are unable to quit, electronic cigarettes are considered a safer option. 

57.3    Councillor Taylor asked the following supplementary question:

Aside from the availability of snus, in Norway for example less than 1% of under 25s are consuming tobacco related products. Are we therefore looking at the best international evidence to ensure tobacco and smoking cessation services are taking that into account.

57.4    The Chair asked Mr Hill to respond. Mr Hill confirmed that the most up to date data was being used.