Here we go again and yes I’m wearing my ‘rebuttal hat’ once more lol.
OK you’ve all probably seen the headlines this morning that vaping could damage your DNA and probably kill you to pieces with various cancers.
And whilst cancer is no laughing matter – it’s headlines like this that do more damage to the public’s health and certainly their perceptions around vaping.
Another Day Another Scare Story About Vaping – Here’s The Truth!
It’s very simple – the more fake news about vaping – the less smokers will trust it as a viable healthier option to smoking and therefore even more people will die of tobacco related diseases.
It really is that simple.
But hey as the old saying goes ‘don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story…’
BTW that phrase was and hopefully still is [though I doubt it] used as an example for young cub reporters on how NOT to be a journalist!
Only last week I reported that the British public was finally beginning to see through the smokescreen of mainstream media hype and headlines around the negatives about e-cigarettes with 43% now believing vaping to be safer and healthier than smoking.
Indeed the recent sitting of UK MPs in the Science and Technology Committee went to great lengths to point out the shame-stream media’s almost hysterical approach to vaping in general and called for it to end as it ‘wasn’t helpful’.
That’s a lovely English way of saying STFU you morons!
Look the media both online and in the newspapers have pounced like rabid wolves on any obscure ‘scientific’ study or research that paints vaping as the big bad wolf waiting in the shadows to mutate your genes – pollute the air around you or give you a heart attack the moment you suck on your favourite set-up.
And each and every single time the real experts scoff the crazy science – offer valid rebuttals that never see the light of day in any of the publications.
After all bad news sells we’re always told.
So What’s The Fake Vape News This Time?
OK I’ll get on to the rebuttal of this latest scare story around vaping – but first what is this new study saying?
Professor Moon-shong Tang from New York University said the effects of so called ‘passive vaping‘ were the same as those from second hand smoke – yeah I know that old chestnut!
And would you believe it he says ‘more work is needed to study this’ adding:
The results may take years to come in because cancer is such a slow process.
Oh OK more research and more funding needed right?
Like I said in the piece New Scientific Study Could Be A Game Changer For Vapers In America written last week – scientific research into e-cigarettes is not only fashionable and the next ‘big thing’ but also a cash cow for skint scientists.
I’ve also said these types of ‘studies’ propel the same scientists into the glare of the media spotlight and of course they get their 15 minutes of fame and sod the smokers.
It’s all about the money honey IMHO.
But enough of my sniping – let’s look at the key conclusion the media has gobbled up:
Based on these results, we propose that ECS is carcinogenic and that E-cig smokers have a higher risk than nonsmokers to develop lung and bladder cancer and heart diseases.
I call BS on that especially given the methods used in no way reflect vaping and involved drowning human cells in a bath full of carcinogens lol.
But hey I’m no scientist so let’s leave it to one of the ‘real experts’ and see what he had to say about this latest attack on vaping.
What Does A REAL Expert Think About This Study?
Prof. Peter Hajek, Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) said:
“Human cells were submerged in nicotine and in off-the-shelf bought carcinogenic nitrosamines. It is not surprising of course that this damaged the cells, but this has no relationship to any effects of e-cigarettes on people who use them.”
In the other part of this study, animals were exposed to what for them are extremely large doses of nicotine and this also generated some damage, but this too has unclear relevance for effects of vaping.
No comparison with conventional cigarettes was made, but in the text of the article, the authors acknowledge the key bit of information that is of crucial relevance in this story:
Vapers show a reduction in these chemicals of 97% compared to smokers.
They should have added that his may well be the level that non-smokers obtain from their environment.
OK so basically human cells were given a long soak in over the counter known carcinogenic liquid until they became damaged?
And once again mice were used to replicate vaping humans?
Cancer Research UK has been quick to enter the fray and they too have strong thoughts about the validity of the study.
CRUK spokesman Dr Jasmine Just said:
Research like this is important but this lab study only looked at effects of e-cigarette smoke [ouch bad word lol] on cells and on mice – which means it’s not possible to draw any conclusions from this about how e-cigarettes might affect people in real life.
Nicely put.
Look I’m pretty sure if you immersed human cells in anything long enough you’d damage something – even water.
And like the excellent Professor Hajek says this kind of mad scientist experiment bares little if any relevance to vaping – but hey like I said ‘don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story!’.
Look in my honest opinion the only damage vaping and DNA can do is to your wallet – as in have you seen the price of a decent DNA mod?
Given I’ve just bought the DNA75C BF my wallet is certainly damaged… 😉
You can read the full study: E-cigarette smoke damages DNA and reduces repair activity in mouse lung, heart, and bladder as well as in human lung and bladder cells – but it’s not exactly a page turner 😉
