A million smokers use ‘healthier’ alternative to tobacco, but . . .

. . . benefit of fake fags may not be all it seems.

They’re a modern twist on an age-old addiction and are gathering converts by the thousand. Electronic cigarettes are marketed as a “cleaner, healthier” alternative to tobacco. And, by the end of the year, it’s estimated more than a million in the UK will be regular users or “vapers”, as they often dub themselves.

Battery-powered e-cigarettes heat nicotine-infused liquid, which is inhaled as a vapour. They give the user the craved-for nicotine hit without the cancer-causing tobacco and nasty chemicals contained in traditional cigarettes. But are e-cigarettes which authorities ruled last week should be subject to strict new rules all they seem?

RESTAURANT diners sparking up after a meal. Drinkers enjoying a fag with their pints down the pub. Commuters on trains and buses and even workers at their desks all contentedly puffing away on cigarettes. These are sights we all thought vanished years ago. But closer inspection reveals all that “smoke” billowing around their heads is nothing more than water vapour.

Electronic cigarettes say manufacturers provide an “authentic smoking experience” but none of the health risks associated with tobacco. As well as the apparent health “benefits”, the e-cigs also work out much cheaper than proper cigarettes by as much as 80%. And with tobacco cigarettes often costing more than £8 a pack, it’s no wonder hundreds of thousands of smokers are turning to electronic versions.

But it’s not all good news.

Scientists and anti-smoking campaigners are becoming increasingly concerned by e-cigs. Studies in the USA and Germany have found some e-cig vapour contains chemicals linked to cancer and other substances known to irritate lungs. This uncertainty over safety has seen e-cigs banned in Brazil, Singapore and France, with Italy set to follow. They’re also subject to medical restrictions in Canada, Japan and Australia.

Product quality also varies considerably.

Nicotine Replacement Therapies like patches or gum are classed as medicines and subject to strict regulation.

Recently, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said e-cigs should be subject to the same rules but laws won’t come into effect until 2016. Until then, they’ll be freely available in corner shops and supermarkets. And, with no age restrictions, even children can buy them.

The MRHA’s Jeremy Mean said “levels of contamination” had been found in the products and some e-cigs are poorly manufactured.

He added: “We can’t recommend these products because their safety and quality is not assured. We recommend people don’t use them.”

One leading manufacturer Manchester-based VIP states on its blog: “E-cigs are carefully not marketed as medicines or smoking cessation devices as this is not the intention behind the product it provides users with a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco rather than ‘treating or preventing disease’ or ‘restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions’, which is how a medical product is defined.”

Anti-smoking charity ASH Scotland welcome regulation but stress that smoking actual tobacco is far worse than e-cigs.

Chief executive Sheila Duffy said: “E-cigarettes are helpful for some smokers who want to quit or reduce tobacco use and they’re much less harmful than smoking.

“Cigarettes and tobacco are lethal to one in two of those who smoke so if you smoke, there’s a 50-50 chance it’ll kill you.

“It’s a horrendous statistic. Smoking is still the biggest cause of preventable death, so I welcome anything which will reduce harm.”

But it’s a cautious welcome.

Sheila worries smokers will simply swap one addiction for another albeit a “safer” one.

And as the big multinational tobacco companies snap up the small e-cig manufacturers, she’s concerned cynical marketing will see them target new generations.

Sheila said: “Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Although e-cigarettes might not be as harmful as tobacco, they’re still promoting addiction.

“As smoking rates fall, tobacco companies look for new revenue sources and they’re snapping up e-cigarette makers.

“We’re seeing things like the introduction of fruit flavours even bubblegum flavoured e-cigs. That appeals directly to youngsters.

“If we’re not careful we’ll see a whole new generation of youngsters hooked on nicotine. Is that really a good idea?”

Dozens of celebrities including Jack Nicholson, Leonardo Di Caprio and Cheryl Cole have been pictured using e-cigarettes.

That “Hollywood sheen” is making them almost as glamorous as smoking was decades ago. Glossy advertising featuring “attractive” people could also encourage youngsters to adopt the habit.

Health promotion professor Amanda Amos, of Edinburgh University, said: “I think we have to raise concerns about how advertising for e-cigarettes is going to be regulated, so that it doesn’t create a positive image of smoking even though it’s not a cigarette that is being smoked.”

Back on manufacturer VIP’s blog and they claim flavoured products have been introduced due to demand from adults ex-smokers, they say, who regained a better sense of taste after cutting out real fags.

They also insist there’s no evidence e-cigs are used as a “gateway” to smoking, or even that their use is widespread among under-18s. They even point to ASH’s own study that shows just 1% of 16 to 18-year-olds regularly use e-cigarettes.

And, like health campaigners, they insist they welcome legislation, saying: “We’ve said time and time again regulation is not something we, or the industry as a whole, opposes guaranteeing quality across all brands and ensuring that electronic cigarettes remain an exclusively adult product is vital to public safety.”

They don’t produce smoke like normal cigarettes, but that hasn’t stopped e-cigs being banned in an increasing number of public places.

Latest is Dundee’s Abertay University, who treat the battery-powered smokes just like real cigarettes meaning students and staff face fines or even suspension for breaking the rules.

ScotRail followed suit last week, banning e-cigarettes from trains and stations. They said they feared passengers might think they can smoke real cigarettes if they see others puffing on similar-looking electronic ones.

Lothian Buses, easyJet and Jet2 also have bans, as does coffee chain Starbucks and pub operator Wetherspoons.

A growing number of secondary schools are banning the devices over fears they may lead to kids trying real cigarettes.

Many pubs, clubs and shopping centres have also issued restrictions even though e-cigs aren’t covered by the law that bans smoking in enclosed public spaces.