Public Health England (PHE) believe that based on the evidence e-cigarettes have the potential to make a significant contribution to the endgame of tobacco. "The current best estimate is that e-cigarette use is around 95% less harmful to health than smoking."

Public Health England is concerned however that over the past year smokers and the general public have had a shift towards the inaccurate perception of e-cigarettes as being at least as harmful as cigarettes. “It is important that the public be provided with balanced information on the risks of e-cigarettes so that smokers understand the potential benefits of switching and so non-smokers understand the risks that taking up e-cigarettes might entail”.

The conclusion of Professor John Britton’s 2014 review for PHE stated that while vaping may not be 100% safe, most of the chemicals causing smoking-related disease are absent and the chemicals present pose limited danger. Also, e-cigarettes release negligible levels of nicotine into the surrounding air when in use with no identified health risks to pass onto bystanders.

The UK Government is consulting on a comprehensive set of regulations for e-cigarettes under the revised EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD2), for introduction from May 2016.

Read the full report which is produced by the Health & Wellbeing Directorate, Public Health England Public Health England.

Further Reading:
Press release
UK Public Health - eCigarettes: an evidence update