Vaping FAQs
According to the Office of National Statistics, the average price of 40 cigarettes as of Feb 2023 is £26.82. The equivalent price of 1 Riot Bar (600 puffs/ 40 cigarettes) is £4.99. Based on someone who smokes 120 cigarettes a week, and the fact that we have a 3 for £12 offer on Riot Bars, you could save £68.46 a week by switching from smoking.
Vaping products containing nicotine are regulated under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), and need to be notified to the MHRA and comply to certain standards (for example, nicotine content is limited to 20 milligrams per millilitre (mg/mL)) before they can be legally sold in the UK.
Vaping products that do not contain nicotine come under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, enforced by local authority Trading Standards departments.
According to Cancer Research UK: “There is no good evidence that vaping causes cancer.
“Some potentially dangerous chemicals have been found in e-cigarettes but levels are usually low and generally far lower than in tobacco cigarettes. Exposure may be the same as people who use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as patches or gum.”
The Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (formerly Public Health England) says vaping is ‘at least 95% less harmful than smoking’.
Source: Cancer Research UK | OHID
Popcorn lung (bronchiolitis obliterans) is a serious, but uncommon, lung disease caused by a build-up of scar tissue in the lungs which hinders the flow of air.
It got its name when workers in a popcorn factory developed the condition after breathing in the chemical diacetyl which was used to give popcorn a buttery flavour.
According to Cancer Research UK:
- E-cigarettes don’t cause the condition known as popcorn lung
- There have been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung reported in people who use e-cigarettes
Diacetyl is banned as a vape flavouring in both the UK and the EU but it is one of the thousands of chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
Source: Cancer Research UK
For more information, check out our detailed blog post: https://rioteliquid.com/blogs/news/popcorn-lung
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculated that the average UK price for a packet of 20 king size cigarettes was £12.77 (December 2022) which works out at £4,661 per year for a pack-a-day smoker.
By comparison, it is estimated that a vaper (who has totally switched from smoking) could expect to pay roughly £400-700-a-year on vaping, resulting in a saving of around £4,000-a-year.
In fact, according to an August 2022 ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) report, saving money was the second most common reason given by current smokers for choosing to switch to vaping (16%) with cutting down on smoking cited as the main reason (17%).
UK vaping regulations limit the amount of e-liquid in vaping devices to 2ml which provides around 600 puffs. This is enough to last up to two days for a moderate vaper; about a day for an average vaper and less than a day for a heavy vaper.
Vaping may or may not be allowed indoors depending on your location. Many workplaces, offices and other public buildings have policies which prohibit vaping in areas where smoking is also banned.
If you want to vape indoors, and you are unsure whether it is allowed, it is always best to check first with the owner or manager of the building in question.
However, in locations where you are allowed to vape indoors, it is a good to idea to ask first if those around you object. You should also avoid vaping directly at others or blowing large vapour clouds.
There is little research on the safety of vaping in pregnancy, but it’s likely to be substantially less harmful for you and your baby than smoking.
The NHS recommends the use of nicotine replacement therapy products such as patches and gum for those who need support to quit smoking while pregnant.
It says: “If you find vaping helpful to quit and to stay smoke-free, it is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.
“The most important thing is to not smoke when pregnant or around pregnant women.”
Source: NHS
The NHS says that ‘stopping smoking is one of the best things you will ever do for your health’ with almost immediate health improvements upon quitting for good.
It says all carbon monoxide is removed from your body after 48 hours; breathing becomes easier after 72 hours; blood circulation improves over two to 12 weeks and your risk of a heart attack (compared to that of a smoker) will have halved after a year.
The Office of Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID) says there are lower health risks for a number of potentially serious health conditions from vaping than smoking.
It says: “Evidence suggests significantly lower relative exposure from vaping compared to smoking in biomarkers that are associated with the risk of:
- cancer
- respiratory conditions
- cardiovascular conditions and
- other health conditions
We also wrote an entire blog post on what happens to your body during the switch, so for more info read our blog
Vaping appears to be considered haram (forbidden by Islamic law) by most Islamic scholars.
Even though the UK’s Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (formerly Public Health England) says vaping is ‘at least 95% less harmful than smoking’, it is considered haram because vaping is not entirely risk-free.
Source: The Islamic Information website
Nicotine is addictive and all nicotine-containing vape products sold in the UK must contain the warning: “This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance.”
An American study into cigarette smoking, published in Science Daily, found that the first symptoms of nicotine addiction can begin within ‘a few days of starting to smoke’.
Other studies suggest that nicotine addiction can vary widely from individual to individual.
Source: Science Daily
Studies suggest that smoking one cigarette results in the body absorbing 1-2mg of nicotine, so ten cigarettes a day is equivalent to 10-20mg of nicotine and 20-a-day is equivalent to 20-40mg of nicotine.
By comparison, a 2ml disposable vaping device with the maximum nicotine concentration allowed in the UK would contain 40mg of nicotine – the equivalent of a strong packet of cigarettes.
Because the body absorbs nicotine from smoking and vaping in different ways, it is not possible to give an exact like-for-like comparison.
Many smokers believe that vaping is as bad (or even worse) for them than cigarettes, often due to reading inaccurate stories in the media which are based on urban myths or bad science.
Vaping is not entirely risk free but the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (formerly Public Health England) says vaping is ‘at least 95% less harmful than smoking’. This figure has remained unchanged since data was first published in 2015.
Smoking is easy to do and many smokers may be reluctant to switch to vaping over fears that it is difficult to learn how to vape.
However, many modern vaping products are specifically designed to very accurately mimic the experience of smoking, but without the added health effects of inhaling combustible tobacco.
Disposable, or single-use devices, come pre-filled with e-liquid and all that is required is to put the mouthpiece of the device to your lips and inhale the vapour. There may be a button to switch the device on and off but there are no settings to change or components to replace which is why they are ideal to help smokers transition from cigarettes.
More advanced devices have replaceable e-liquid pods or tanks which can be refilled with e-liquid when they run dry and these can work out less expensive over time compared with disposable devices.
Smokers who successfully switch to vaping may find that they are content to continue using nicotine without the health risks associated with combustible tobacco. Others want to stop using nicotine altogether and are able to do this by switching to e-liquids with lower nicotine concentrations over time.
Some enjoy the experience of vaping and find that using vapes containing zero nicotine e-liquids can replace the craving for a cigarette. Others find that vaping helps them stop smoking and, once they are confident they have no desire to smoke another cigarette, find they can just naturally stop vaping too.
You are not allowed to pack vaping devices in your checked baggage but most airlines will allow you to take vapes and e-liquid on flights with your hand luggage. Any e-liquid will have to comply with rules for taking liquids through security.
Always check with your airline if you are unsure about what is allowed onboard as hand luggage.
Source: GOV.UK
Vaping is not entirely risk free but the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (formerly Public Health England) says vaping is ‘at least 95% less harmful than smoking’. This figure has remained unchanged since data was first reported in 2015.
Source: OHID
The Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (formerly Public Health England) says smoking remains ‘the largest single risk factor and years of live lived in ill-health globally’ and is ‘a leading cause of health inequalities in England’.
Vaping, on the other hand, is 95% less harmful than smoking. The Centre for Economics and Business Research analysed data from 2019 and calculated that for that year alone the NHS saved £322m because of smokers switching to vaping.
Source: OHID
Source: Cebr
In the UK, it is illegal to sell vaping products to anyone aged under 18 or to buy vaping products for those under 18. This applies to both in store and online sales.
Source: OHID
Vaping is a reduced risk alternative to cigarettes, designed to help adult smokers quit. It is not without risk, but the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (formerly Public Health England) says vaping is ‘at least 95% less harmful than smoking’. This figure has remained unchanged since this data was first reported in 2015.
Source: OHID
