WHO Vs NHS on Vaping Health Effects

The organization’s message was unequivocal: e-cigarettes are not harmless. According to WHO, “there is no doubt” they damage health, though the long-term consequences of use and exposure remain unclear. Officials further argued there is insufficient evidence to endorse e-cigarettes as a cessation aid and recommended more traditional methods such as nicotine gum, patches, or behavioural counselling.

This approach reflects WHO’s broader public health philosophy, which tends to favour long-established interventions over newer, less studied technologies. The concern is not just the individual health risks, but also the population-wide impact, particularly on adolescents who have embraced vaping in record numbers.

Pushback from UK Scientists

British researchers and public health authorities wasted no time countering WHO’s claims. Peter Hajek, director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London, called the statement “particularly malign” and accused WHO of undermining years of harm reduction progress. Hajek pointed to robust evidence showing that e-cigarettes are an effective quitting tool, and dismissed claims of widespread addiction among non-smokers.

John Britton, a consultant in respiratory medicine and director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies, was equally forthright. He stressed that vaping is “clearly less harmful” than smoking and argued that WHO is ignoring a substantial body of data supporting harm reduction. Public Health England continues to maintain that e-cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than combustible cigarettes, a figure that has shaped the UK’s relatively progressive stance on vaping.

Scientific Disagreement over Risk

Not all experts share the UK’s confidence. Earlier this month, a team of six researchers published a paper in the American Journal of Public Health disputing the oft-cited “95% less harmful” claim. Led by psychologist Thomas Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth University, the authors warned that the accumulation of evidence points to possible long-term harm. They also cited studies indicating that teenagers who try vaping are more likely to start smoking later.

The scientific picture remains complex. While e-cigarettes eliminate the tar and many carcinogens found in tobacco smoke, they still deliver nicotine and expose users to other potentially harmful chemicals. Studies are ongoing to assess whether chronic vaping increases the risk of respiratory illness or cardiovascular disease over time.

E-Cigarettes as a Cessation Tool

One of the most contentious issues is whether vaping truly helps people quit smoking. Tobacco kills over eight million people annually worldwide, and many smokers report that switching to e-cigarettes was the breakthrough they needed to quit. A major randomized trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine found e-cigarettes to be more effective than nicotine replacement therapies for smoking cessation.

Yet the trial also highlighted a complication: 40% of participants assigned to e-cigarettes were still using them after a year, and roughly one-quarter became “dual users,” continuing to smoke while also vaping. Critics argue this undercuts the potential health gains, as dual use still exposes individuals to tobacco smoke’s most dangerous constituents.

The Youth Question

WHO’s most pressing concern remains the dramatic rise of vaping among young people. Even if e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes, widespread uptake among teenagers could normalize nicotine use and create a new generation of users dependent on the substance. In response, more than 30 countries have enacted full bans on e-cigarettes, and others are weighing similar measures.

In the UK, where smoking rates among young people are at historic lows, experts argue that the fears are overblown. They point to surveys showing that regular vaping among teens who have never smoked remains rare, and they warn that bans could backfire by driving young people back to combustible tobacco or illicit markets.

A Deepening Divide

The controversy highlights a fundamental divide between harm reduction advocates and abstinence-based public health approaches. Supporters of vaping argue that withholding safer alternatives from smokers is unethical when conventional cessation methods fail so many. Critics, however, caution that premature endorsement could unleash unforeseen harms on a population level.

This debate is unlikely to abate soon. Regulators, researchers, and clinicians continue to wrestle with the question: should public health policy prioritize the potential lives saved by helping smokers quit, or the potential lives protected by preventing a new wave of nicotine dependence?

Looking Ahead

As more data emerges, the global conversation about vaping will continue to evolve. For now, smokers face a patchwork of policies and messages that range from encouragement to prohibition. The stakes are high: millions of smokers stand to gain years of life if e-cigarettes truly are a safer alternative, but public health authorities remain cautious, wary of repeating past mistakes made with other tobacco industry innovations.

One thing is certain—this debate is far from settled, and the clash between global organizations and national health agencies will shape the future of nicotine use for years to come

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are e-cigarettes safer than traditional cigarettes?
Most experts agree that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking because it avoids combustion, which creates tar and many carcinogens. However, long-term risks are still being studied.

2. Can vaping help smokers quit?
Randomized trials suggest e-cigarettes can be more effective than nicotine patches or gum for some smokers. Success rates are highest when paired with behavioural support.

3. Is vaping addictive?
Vaping delivers nicotine, which is addictive, but studies show that regular use among non-smokers is very low. The main users of e-cigarettes are current or former smokers.

4. Why is youth vaping a concern?
Public health agencies worry that early exposure to nicotine could foster dependence and lead to smoking later in life. Surveys in the UK, however, show smoking rates among young people are at record lows.

5. Are e-cigarettes banned anywhere?
Yes. Over 30 countries have full bans on e-cigarettes, and others restrict their sale or marketing. The UK currently allows them but regulates packaging, nicotine limits, and advertising