Louise Ford

A TOP doctor has branded the media hype over a teenager developing "wet lung" from vaping as "total nonsense".

The 18-year-old woman hit global headlines earlier this month for developing the rare condition after reportedly using a vape starter kit for three weeks.

But top medic Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos has dismissed the sensational headlines as a "new low for e-cigarette opponents," explaining the patient, who had a history of mild asthma, suffered an allergic reaction which in turn triggered pneumonia.

He also explained how the condition's other name, "wet lung", is a term rarely used in the medical world -  but was clearly used by the media to sensationalize the story.

Earlier this month, the unnamed restaurant waitress was reported to have developed "wet lung" after vaping for several weeks in a bid to give up smoking.

After suffering from difficulty and pain associated with breathing she

POLITICIANS are calling for Parliament to set an example to British smokers by becoming more "vape friendly".

MPs are hoping for a rule change which would stop e-cigarette users being treated like tobacco smokers at government buildings in London.

Vapers are currently forced to use designated outdoor areas alongside smokers in the Houses of Parliament which has been described as non sensical and like "putting an alcoholic into a bar" at a committee hosted by MP Norman Lamb.

The call for a more vape friendly Parliament came at a special committee which coincided with last month's public health campaign VApril, which encouraged smokers to make the switch to e-cigarettes for a month.

During the debate, a number of anti-smoking and pro-vaping groups spoke to MPs to talk about the current state of the vaping industry and plans for its future - one of which was to encourage vaping in Parliament itself.

John Dunne,

The US government reportedly failed to promote the latest statistics which shows a "record low" in smoking rates - thanks in part to smokers switching to vaping

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the NHIS smoking data for 2017 but hasn't released a press release to report it.

The survey indicates adult smoking record rates have dropped from 15.8 per cent in 2016 to 14.1 per cent in 2017.

Anti-smoking activist, Bill Godshall, the executive director of Smoke Free Pennsylvania, posted the report on E-cigarette Forum, explaining although the statistics were on the CDC's website, they hadn't yet publicised their findings. He went on to say the CDC only reports "bad

ICELAND has seen a dramatic 40 percent drop in smokers thanks to vaping

E-cigarettes have now been hailed "a great blessing" for the country's overall public health.
Doctors have thanked Iceland's tobacco control policies for its continued success in seeing smokers quit cigarettes by promoting vaping instead.

Anti-tobacco campaigner and well-respected Italian doctor Riccardo Polosa said in a statement on social media site Twitter of the news this week: "This is a clear example that when the existing #tobaccocontrol policies are integrated with the promotion of #vaping extraordinary results can be achieved in terms of #publichealth."
In 2014, 35,000 Icelanders self-identified as smokers - comprising 14% of the population - just three years later in 2017 and thanks to a steady rise in vaping, numbers have dropped by 40 percent to 22,000.

“Smoking has been falling like a rock like we’ve never seen before,” top

NEW research has shown teen vaping rates have fallen for the second consecutive year

Despite recent headlines claiming more young people are being lured into using e-cigarettes, results from the latest National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) show vaping amongst high schoolers in America continues to drop.

Released by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), use of e-cigarettes by youngsters has fallen from 16 per cent to 11.7 per cent since 2015 – equating to about a million fewer youth tobacco users taking up the habit

Experts hope the latest statistics will put parents' concerns about teenage vaping to rest.

In recent months, the media and a number of interest groups across America have fuelled a huge moral panic claiming an “epidemic” of underage vaping has emerged, particularly in regards to the use of e-cigarette brand Juul, supposedly a favourite with teenagers.

The latest report is also a welcome sign for the vaping industry

VAPING is not only less harmful and less expensive than smoking - but is more pleasurable, new research has found.

The new study conducted by the UK’s University of East Anglia (UAE) found people who switched from tobacco to vaping found it more enjoyable and was one of the main reasons why it was effective in helping consumers make the switch.

It’s pleasurable qualities also saw hardened smokers, who had no intention of giving up smoking, kick their habit.

Lead researcher Dr Caitlin Notley of the UEA team said: “[E-cigarettes] are at least 95 per cent less harmful than tobacco smoking, and they are now the most popular aid to quitting smoking in the UK.

"However the idea of using e-cigarettes to stop smoking, and particularly long-term use, remains controversial. We wanted to find out about how people use e-cigarettes to quit smoking and whether vaping supports long-term smoking abstinence."

Researchers took

VAPERS and their families are suing e-cigarette manufacturers Juul for getting them addicted to nicotine.

Three lawsuits have been filed against Juul Labs involving plaintiffs as young as 15, it has been revealed this week.

They claim in court filings the device is marketed towards teenagers, contain more nicotine than combustible cigarettes – and the resulting addiction is disrupting their lives.

The US vape company has already been at the centre of increasing controversy this year as its products have been slammed by the media, public health organizations and well-meaning parents and teachers for creating an “epidemic” of teenage vaping.

The news is the latest in a long line of controversial headlines for the US e-cigarette manufacturer who has been criticised by the media, government, consumer groups and well-meaning parents who blame it for a so-called “epidemic” of teenage vaping.

The

THE vaping industry is set to launch its first ever awareness month in April across the UK.

Organized by the Vaping Industry Association, VApril hopes to urge smokers to switch to e-cigarettes for the month to show them it is a healthier choice

Following in the footsteps of Stoptober, the NHS’s stop smoking challenge six months earlier, the awareness campaign will engage with the general public, government and public health organizations across the country to spread the message that vaping is better than tobacco.

With TV doctor Dr Christian Jessen fronting the campaign, famous in the UK for his Channel 4 show 'Embarrassing Bodies', VApril aims to show smokers the different types of vape products on offer while helping them to vape responsibly.

They will also have the opportunity to take the Vape Challenge by trying a vape product instead of smoking during April while having the health impact of doing so monitored

A LEADING doctor has poured cold water on a report which claims e-cigarette users are inhaling significant amounts of lead and toxic metals.

Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos, a research fellow and cardiologist who has published over 50 studies and articles on smoking, tobacco harm and e-cigarettes, has questioned the findings by John Hopkins University which claimed dangerous levels of toxins - including lead, chromium and arsenic – are being inhaled by vapers.

The study published last week triggered a wealth of media reports, which went on to claim absorbing toxic metals could be linked to heart and brain damage.

But Dr Farsalinos says having looked at the research by the American university the level of metals actually found in the body were so low that in some cases you would have to vape more than 100ml of vape juice a day (with 15ml being an amount used by a heavy vaper per day) to exceed the limits set by the US Food and Drugs Administration.

EX SMOKERS who switched from cigarettes to vaping are more likely to use fruit flavours over tobacco, new research has revealed.

While many tobacco smokers initiated e-cigarette use by choosing flavours which mimicked their old habit - namely tobacco or menthol - over time more are switching to fruit, candy, desert or chocolate flavours and haven't returned to cigarettes.

The number of first-time vapers choosing non-tobacco flavours to help transition from cigarettes has also rocketed over the past few years.

The revealing statistics are being seen by the vaping community as vital in proving to the US government and pressure organizations that fruit and candy flavoured vape juice is very much used - and has real health benefits - to ex smokers at a time when cities and states are banning flavours, believing them to be sold as a tool to entice young people into taking up e-cigarettes.

The

The FDA is cracking down on vape juice labels, which could be mistaken for food or candy.

The government department sent 13 warning letters last week to manufacturers, distributors and retailers who are packaging or advertising their vape juice as kid-friendly food products.

The e-juice labels under fire were found to be nearly identical to recognizable edible items found in retail stores including juice boxes, candy and cookies.

The FDA's crackdown is just one of many measures which the vaping industry is currently seeing almost weekly.

The action comes less than a week after the FDA announced it sent a formal request to JUUL Labs requesting information on its popular e-cigarette brand, including documents relating to its product marketing.

The vape manufacturers who have now been hit with warning letters have been singled out for safety concerns, since the products look like food or drinks commonly consumed by

NEW research shows vaping prevents smokers from having a long-term relapse – even if they try a cigarette.

Ex smokers don’t lapse for long if they’ve swapped to e-cigarettes and crucially don’t see it as “game over” for their quit attempt if they briefly re-try tobacco again, an investigation by British university researchers has found.

The findings, funded by Cancer Research UK and published in the medical journal Drug and Alcohol Review, show vaping actively encourages not just smoking cessation, but long-term relapse prevention.

Lead researcher Dr Caitlin Notley from University of East Anglia's Norwich

VAPING is set to be hit hard by a new US government tariff which would see a 25 per cent tax hike on imports from China.

The potential impact would not just affect consumers buying over the internet but vape shops across US towns and cities who are already struggling to cope with high taxes on e-cigarettes and vape goods.

The new tariff is to come into affect imminently if a trade war, which started on Friday (July 6th), between America and China continues.

Earlier this year, President Trump warned he would implement tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports, saying his administration believed Beijing had unfairly acquired US intellectual property for decades and needed to pay the price. After slapping a 25 per cent tax on over 800 exported goods at the end of last week, Beijing has now retaliated by doing the same.

Trump threatened to increase the scope to $450 billion if China started taxing in retaliation and with a trade war now in place,

MOTORISTS face losing their license if they are caught vaping behind the wheel – because it “obscures their vision”.

Police have warned anyone driving and distracted by smoking e-cigarettes could be fined thousands of pounds or even banned, under new UK laws.

Although vaping while driving isn’t illegal, officers say a vape cloud could momentarily blind drivers long enough to have a crash, according to Britain’s Telegraph newspaper, resulting in prosecution.

Drivers could face a fine of up to £2,500 as well as incur three to nine points on a driving license and even disqualification in serious circumstances.

Sergeant Carl Knapp of the Sussex Road Policing Unit warned: "The smoke caused by vapes are a distraction and the consequences of them can be dire, all it takes is a moment to become distracted and potentially cause a crash and even worse, a fatality."
He added: “I strongly advise people to pay 100 per cent attention to

VAPING.COM co-founder and CEO of the seminal E-Cigarette Forum Oliver Kershaw has scooped the prestigious INNCO Honorary Advocate award for his outstanding service to vaping.

Kershaw, who also co-founded the E-Cigarette Summit, was recognised by The International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisation, which presented him with the new award, which honours an individual who has been “outstanding in promoting the cause of alternative risk reduced nicotine products through education, campaigning or collaboration”.

The International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO) is the collective voice for the most influential nicotine consumer organisations in 25 countries across five continents, who each recognise there are safer ways to enjoy nicotine consumption than tobacco smoking.

As well as co-founding Vaping.com, Kershaw set up the world's largest vape and e-cig website E-Cigarette Forum (ECF) in 2007, a website