Pretoria – The Vapour Products Association of South Africa (VPASA) says the booming sector is plagued by continual misinformation and disinformation despite scientific evidence demonstrating that vaping is less harmful than smoking.
Vaping is the action or practice of inhaling and exhaling vapour, which may or may not contain nicotine, flavouring or other chemicals produced by an electronic device designed for this purpose.
Chief executive of VPASA, Asanda Gcoyi said vaping is the single, most effective tool which can move smokers away from the deadly addiction to cigarettes.
“We accept that vaping is not without risk, but it is a potentially less harmful alternative to smoking. What we cannot afford to do is to unduly stymie this technological innovation that can be the single most effective tool to move smokers away from their deadly addiction to cigarettes.
“We have a collective responsibility to share correct information about vaping and other less harmful alternatives to smoking so that smokers can make an informed decision for their health,” she said.
In the ongoing efforts to shed light and demystify vaping in South Africa, VPASA is on a drive to ultimately debunk some of the most prominent vaping myths circulating.
“The first myth is that vaping is as harmful as smoking. Although not risk-free, vaping is a potentially less harmful alternative to combustible tobacco. There are significantly lower levels of exposure to harmful chemicals in people who switch from smoking to vaping compared with those who continue to smoke. The science that dates back as far as 2015 says vaping is a less harmful alternative to smoking, and recent updates continue to support this,” said Gcoyi.
“The second myth is that vaping causes popcorn lung. According to Cancer Research UK, popcorn lung (bronchiolitis obliterans) is an uncommon type of lung disease, but it is not cancer. It is caused by a build-up of scar tissue in the lungs, which blocks the flow of air. E-cigarettes don’t cause the lung condition known as popcorn lung,” she said.
Gcoyi said there was also a myth that vaping causes lung cancer.
“The fact is that burning tobacco in all its forms means exposure to carcinogenic chemicals. If you are a smoker, switching to vaping will reduce your risk of cancer. Most toxins from smoking are absent in electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems aerosol.
“Electronic non-nicotine delivery systems are a tool for consuming nicotine that is less harmful than if consumed via the combustion of tobacco. Coffee is brewed for caffeine. Vaping atomises e-liquid for nicotine. Both caffeine and nicotine would hurt if burned,” she said.
Gcoyi said there is also a myth that all vaping is addictive.
“The addictive substance in some vaping e-liquid is nicotine. Not all e-liquids contain nicotine. Smokers can use non-nicotine vapes to lessen their addiction while meeting their habitual need to puff.
“The other myth is that vaping cannot help people quit smoking. Updated Cochrane evidence has found that electronic cigarettes containing nicotine could increase the number of people who stop smoking compared to nicotine replacement therapy – such as chewing gum and patches – and compared to no treatment, or electronic cigarettes without nicotine,” she said.
The Vapour Products Association of South Africa represents vapour product manufacturers, retailers, and importers. The association was established “to protect” the interests and well-being of vapour product consumers in South Africa.
Earlier this year, vaping organisations again pleaded with government to allow products to be regulated separately from traditional tobacco products.
With government yet to make a decision on how vaping will be regulated, vape organisations are doing all they can to convince government to allow for separate regulations.
Consumer advocacy group Vaping Saved My Life (VSML) has also launched a campaign to help educate consumers on the benefits of vaping, and to debunk the myths associated with it.
They have also created an online petition to support the campaign, calling for vaping products to be regulated separately from traditional tobacco products in South Africa.
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