Is Vaping Safer Than Smoking? What the Science Says
The relative safety of vaping compared to smoking has been debated since e-cigarettes first appeared. Public Health England maintains that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking, while the FDA takes a more cautious stance.
What Studies Show
A 2024 review published in the Cochrane Database found high-certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes help people stop smoking and that they are more effective than nicotine replacement therapy.
Harm Reduction Perspective
The Royal College of Physicians supports vaping as a harm reduction tool, noting that while not risk-free, vaping eliminates the combustion process that produces the most harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke.
Vaping eliminates tar, carbon monoxide, and thousands of combustion byproducts found in cigarette smoke.