This isn’t a piece where we trash smokers, far from it! The fact remains however that still many smokers distrust vaping. A study initiated and funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research confirms that approximately twenty-five percent of smokers do not trust e cigarettes and are suspicious of vaping as a whole. We look at why some smokers are so against something that so many others have wholeheartedly embraced.
Negative Media Reporting
When someone forms an opinion that opinion can be based on their own experiences, things that they have seen or heard or been told by someone else. It stands to reason therefore that some of these opinions have been formed due to misinformation seen online, on various websites, on the news, in newspapers and across social media. If all of the information released to the public was factual there would be fewer smokers worried about “dangerous” vaping.
What About Popcorn Lung?
When you click on a website reporting explosive ecigs and popcorn lung causing e liquids you’ll find that the pieces contained within that link are without reputable sources. These news pieces do not tell the full story. Popcorn lung, for example, is a lung condition that workers in factories using diacetyl can develop after a long period of time breathing in high concentrations of this flavouring. A few e liquids were found to contain diacetyl which produces a buttery flavour. There was a media uproar that claimed vapers would also suffer the same issue.
Extensive testing proved that this was not the case. The few e liquid manufacturers that used diacetyl removed these in order to reassure the public. Even today you will still find online “hot news” items that share the worrying news about vaping causing popcorn lung. This is the case despite it being scientifically disproved. It’s no wonder that sometimes smokers distrust vaping when there are so many media mistruths out there.
Don’t E Cigarettes Blow Up?
Another popular headline for the media talks about dramatically exploding e cigarettes. What these expert articles fail to mention is that firstly this happens very rarely. Secondly, they occur because a few vapers decide to alter their e cigarettes with having a proper understanding about how to treat lithium batteries (the same sort that is used in mobile phones) and about how to adhere to the instructions that manufacturers offer with each and every e cigarette that is sold. The London Fire Brigade is pleased to advocate for the use of e cigarettes over the use of tobacco cigarettes. They themselves consider them so much safer, considering the damage that they have seen cigarettes cause. Clearly, smokers distrust vaping but perhaps seeing endorsements like this will make them rethink?
Clearly, a lot of the negative opinions and the fact so many smokers distrust vaping comes from the media. This isn’t the only place though. There are cultural reasons for people smoking, social reasons, peer pressure (even amongst adults) and more. The real question is, why can be done about this?
Smokers Distrust Vaping: Turning the Opinion Tide
One thing that you can’t do is force a smoker to suddenly embrace vaping when they were previously sceptical. When it comes to it a change of opinion people will only do this if they see proof to rival their current stance, and only if they want to! Public Health England, who are working hard to improve access to vaping via the government have included vaping in a number of their public health campaigns.
PHE announced last year that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than tobacco cigarettes. Sharing these campaigns, social posts, blog posts like these that debunk the myths about e liquids and vaping will help. Doing the same for any information that proves the benefits of vaping over smoking is the only way to help those smokers still doubtful change their minds. Hopefully, they will then change their habits if indeed this is something that they are open to.
As a side note, yes, a quarter of smokers distrust vaping in this study but what about the other 75% of participants? There’s some food for thought.