SMOKE ALARM
Vapers suffer ‘similar’ DNA damage to smokers – and it’s linked to lung cancer
Scientists say the evidence suggests vaping is not risk-free
VAPING may cause DNA damage similar to that inflicted by smoking tobacco, a study suggests.
It comes as ministers today table their plans to ban kids from smoking or vaping, plus a crackdown on e-cigarettes’ colourful packaging and flavours.
1
Scientists at University College London say their research shows vaping is not risk-free.
Analysis of 3,500 cheek cell samples found “significant” genetic changes in smokers that were linked to lung cancers and growths.
E-cigarette users were found to have the same changes, even if they had smoked fewer than 100 real cigarettes in their lives.
Study author Dr Chiara Herzog said: “We cannot say that e-cigarettes cause cancer based on our study, but we do see e-cigarette users exhibit some similar genetic changes to smokers.
Read more on vaping
“These changes are associated with future lung cancer development in smokers.
“While the scientific opinion is that e-cigarettes are safer than smoking tobacco, we cannot assume they are completely safe to use and it is important to explore their potential long-term risks and links to cancer.”
This study highlights that e-cigarettes are not risk-free
Dr Ian Walker
The Department of Health this week lays its new Tobacco and Vapes Bill in Parliament to crack down on smoking and vaping.
It is set to increase the age of sale of fags every year so children who are currently 15 or younger can never legally buy them.
Most read in Health
Rules could mean shops will be fined if they sell vapes to children and must keep them behind the counter, manufacturers will be banned from making them brightly coloured or candy flavoured, and both cigs and e-cigs will be taxed more.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “We are delivering on our commitment to create a smokefree generation and stop our kids from getting hooked on harmful cigarettes and other nicotine products.”
Dr Ian Walker, from Cancer Research UK said: “Nothing would have a bigger impact on reducing the number of preventable deaths in the UK than ending smoking.
“This study contributes to our understanding of e-cigarettes, but it does not show that e-cigarettes cause cancer.
“Decades of research has proven the link between smoking and cancer, and studies have so far shown that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking and can help people quit.
“This paper does however highlight that e-cigarettes are not risk-free, and so we need additional studies to uncover their potential longer-term impacts on human health.”
UK vaping law plans
MINISTERS have pledged to crackdown on poorly regulated vapes and e-cigarettes following an explosion in the number of teenagers who use them.
New rules for manufacturers and shopkeepers are expected to come into force in late 2024 or early 2025.
They are set to include:
- Higher tax rates paid on vapes to increase the price and make it harder for children to afford them
- A ban on single-use vapes in favour of devices that can be recharged
- A ban on colourful and cartoonish packaging that may appeal to youngsters
- Tighter controls on flavourings and a ban on unnecessarily sweet or child-friendly ones like bubblegum and candy
- More regulation on how and where they are displayed in shops, potentially putting them out of sight
- Harsher penalties for shops caught selling them to under-18s
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also announced plans to impose a tax on on imported e-cigs and manufacturers, making vapes more expensive.
The duty will apply to the liquid in vapes, with higher levels for products with more nicotine.