A million vapers in England had no smoking history, study shows

LONDON – About a million adults who were not regular smokers have now taken to vaping in England, according to a new study, as concerns rise around the world about the health impact of addictive e-cigarettes.

The rate of vaping among adults without a smoking history remained stable and low at 0.5 per cent, or one in 200, from 2016 to 2020. But that changed after 2021, when disposable vapes became popular, according to the study published in Lancet Public Health this week.

England saw a rapid increase in vaping among this group, with the rate reaching one in every 28 as at April 2024, the University College London (UCL) study said.

Researchers relied on data collected between 2016 and 2024 from 153,073 adults in England. Of them, 94,107 had never regularly smoked tobacco – showing the increase was largely driven by young adults and people with a higher alcohol consumption level.

One in seven people aged 18 to 24 who never regularly smoked are now using e-cigarettes, the study found. There has also been a noticeable increase in the proportion using disposable vapes.

“These findings are a reminder that action is required to try to minimise vaping among young people,” according to Professor Jamie Brown, the study’s co-author, who teaches at UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care.

“Banning disposables, as the UK government currently plans, is unlikely to fix the issue, as popular brands have already launched reusable products with very similar designs and prices.”

Although e-cigarettes do not contain cancer-causing tobacco, they contain nicotine and are not risk-free. While the long-term effects of vaping are still being discovered, they are known to bring on nausea, vomiting, mouth and airway irritation, chest pain and palpitations.

While some adults use vaping as a way to quit the more harmful cigarette smoking, public health experts and the World Health Organisation have

warned about the dangers of the habit,

especially as the nicotine industry now targets young adults – using creative ways like flavoured products and portraying vaping as a fun and safe pastime.

“A sensible next step would be to introduce stricter regulation around product appearance, packaging and marketing,” Prof Brown said. BLOOMBERG