Facts about e-cigarettes - the European campaign has started

The European e-cigarette association IEVA has launched an extensive information campaign. The aim is to educate smokers about the harm reduction potential of e-cigarettes compared to tobacco cigarettes. Few smokers would know the scientific facts about e-cigarettes and would be discouraged from switching to a less harmful alternative.

According to the European Commission, “Tobacco use is… the greatest preventable health risk, responsible for nearly 700,000 deaths in the EU each year. About 50% of smokers die prematurely. "

Independent studies have shown that the e-cigarette is the most promising way to quit smoking completely. In the UK and New Zealand, government agencies strongly encourage smokers to switch to e-cigarettes and encourage health professionals to suggest e-cigarettes as an alternative when advising smokers. Success: Smoking rates can be significantly reduced in both countries.

“The changes in New Zealand and the UK are examples of progressive and enlightened public health policies. Political leaders should look closely at measures and results and can apply them to their own tobacco control policy. An e-cigarette can make a significant contribution to reducing the number of smokers, ”says Dustin Dahlmann, president of the Independent European Vape Alliance.

Many independent international studies provide clear evidence that e-cigarettes are much less harmful than tobacco cigarettes. These results are the focus of the campaign and can also be read at Vapingfacts.eu.

Reasons for lack of factual knowledge in the population

Negative claims about e-cigarettes can confuse smokers and discourage them from switching to the less harmful alternative.

A team of international researchers examined the 24 most cited e-cigarette studies published in medical journals. The worrying result: “The results are shocking: Almost all of these studies proved to be methodologically flawed; they lacked a clear hypothesis, used inadequate methodology, did not collect data relevant to the study objectives, and did not correct for the apparent confounders.”

The awareness campaign will take place over the coming weeks via the social media channels of the international members of the Independent European Vape Alliance.