There is no evidence that ‘second hand vaping’ poses a risk to bystanders, an expert has claimed.
Professor John Britton made the comments at a Science Media Centre panel briefing. Experts discussed e-cigarette safety following the recent outbreak of lung illnesses in the US.
Professor Britton is Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies and Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at the University of Nottingham.
Prof Britton argued that banning vaping indoors was ‘pointless’.
He said:
“Vaping in an enclosed space… is a courtesy issue. There’s no evidence of harm to other people. Most of what comes out in the vapour is water.
“It’s a courtesy issue, and if you send the vapers out to smoke or to vape with the smokers you are putting them directly into contact with the drug they are trying to quit. You wouldn’t send the methadone user out with the heroin addicts.”
The panel also included Imperial College London Emeritus Professor of Toxicology Prof Alan Boobis and Prof Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction, National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London.
The panel said that switching from smoking to vaping was a ‘no-brainer.’ They also expressed their concern that vape panic in the US may put people off making the switch.
Prof McNeill said:
“It would be a great shame if people are deterred from using e-cigarettes because what is happening in the US.
“We obviously need to keep monitoring these data to see the impact of that news”
Photo by Mahjur Ahmed on Unsplash
