Research has found that 44 per cent of smokers wrongly think e-cigarettes and vaping is just or nearly as harmful as regular cigarettes
A NEW video reveals just how much damage cigarettes cause your lungs in a month compared to vaping.
Nearly half of smokers are unaware that vaping is less harmful than tobacco, health bosses have warned.
Around one in six adults in the UK still use cigarettes – raising their risk of cancer, heart problems and dementia.
Officials have now produced a hard-hitting film showing how much deadly tar smokers inhale compared to vapers.
Public Health England is keen for adults to ditch the habit and take up e-cigarettes instead.
But their championing of the quit-smoking aids comes despite an NHS drugs watchdog - the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence – refusing to recommend them over safety concerns.
At least half a million smokers are expected to try to kick the habit this January.
However, new research by PHE shows 44 per cent of smokers wrongly think vaping is just or nearly as harmful.
In response, it has today [Fri] released a graphic film showing the effects of inhaling tobacco smoke compared to e-cigarette vape.
In the experiment, the lungs were represented by three bell jars filled with cotton wool.
Scientists used a pump to mimic a month of tobacco or e-cig use. By the end of the test, the cotton wool exposed to cigarette smoke was dark brown and smeared with tar.
In comparison, the contents of the vaping bell jar were mostly unchanged.
Researcher Dr Lion Shahab, from University College London, said e-cigs were “relatively safe” compared to tobacco.
He said: “The false belief that vaping is as harmful as smoking could be preventing thousands of smokers from switching to e-cigarettes to help them quit.
“I hope this illustrative experiment helps people see the huge damage caused by smoking that could be avoided by switching to an e-cigarette.” Officials claim vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than cigarettes – with one person a minute is admitted to hospital due to smoking.
PHE director of health improvement Professor John Newton said the experiment shows the stark impacts of tobacco.
Prof Newton said: "It would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about safety.” Around 2.5 million adults currently use e-cigs.
Public Health Minister Steve Brine said: "Tough Government action has driven down smoking rates to a record low, but it remains our biggest preventable killer.
"The evidence is clear that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking and they are the most popular quitting method in England. When paired with local stop-smoking services, they have some of the highest success rates."
For help quitting smoking visit .
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