Clearing the smoke

Vaping electronic cigarettes is definitely less harmful than is smoking tobacco, health bodies in Scotland have stated for the first time, according to a bbc.co story.

NHS [National Health Service] Health Scotland said it wanted to ‘clarify’ confusion around the harms and benefits of vaping devices.

More than 20 organizations have signed up to the consensus, which was led by NHS Health Scotland.

Health chiefs said, however, that using e-cigarettes while still smoking did not provide any health benefits.

The consensus statement, published by Scotland’s national health education and promotion agency, was agreed by the Scottish government, health boards, academia and charities such as the British Lung Foundation and Cancer Research UK.

There are estimated to be about 2.9 million people in the UK who use e-cigarettes, and more than half of them have given up smoking tobacco, a recent study has suggested.

However, despite the rise in e-cigarette use since 2012, about nine million people still smoke in the UK.

The full story is at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-41333537.