A Canadian broadcaster has issued a correction after falsely claiming a study showing e-cigarettes are 95 percent safer than regular cigarettes was funded by the tobacco industry.
An article published by CBC News documented the dramatic rise of the vaping industry. “The jury is still out on the health effects of vaporizers and electronic cigarettes,” the article declared.
But controversy arose after the article referred to a widely cited study by Public Health England (PHE) showing the e-cigarettes are far less hazardous than their tobacco-filled rivals.
CBC News later corrected this part of their article and apologized for claiming the report was funded by the tobacco industry, a smear that has gained traction with e-cigarette opponents.
Canadian broadcaster finally retracts and apologises for smearing @PHE_uk over #ecig report: https://t.co/GLKWDIVFwx pic.twitter.com/1Wz8eDqnru
— Clive Bates (@Clive_Bates) March 2, 2016
The PHE study said that while e-cigarettes may not be totally safe, they contain almost none of the chemicals in cigarettes associated with serious diseases like lung cancer and emphysema.
The report added that there is a substantial body of high-quality evidence that e-cigarettes are an effective tool for getting smokers to kick their habit. The devices, which were only invented in 2007, already have 2.6 million adult users in England alone.
The report came hot on the heels of a study from anti-tobacco campaign group Action on Smoking and Health that found no link between the rise in teens using e-cigarettes and young people transferring to regular cigarettes.
“If I was running a stop-smoking service, I would encourage people who are interested in trying e-cigarettes to have a go,” said Professor McNeill, one of the study’s authors. “I would also be recommending all the other evidence-based medications that people can use.”
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