Myth Busting
Here we take a look at busting myths and debunking junk science about nicotine or products containing nicotine.
ENDS - COVID / EVALI / Respiratory Disease
2020: E-Cigarettes and Respiratory Disease: NO EVIDENCE
- The re-analysis by Kenkel and colleagues should prompt the American Journal of Preventive Medicine’s editors to revisit their decision to publish Bhatta and Glantz’s latest study.
- Cornell University researchers, led by economics professor Don Kenkel, have published a comprehensive re-analysis of the study "Association of E-Cigarette Use With Respiratory Disease Among Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis", concluding: “We find no evidence that current or former e-cigarette use is associated with respiratory disease.” Their paper on the topic: E-Cigarettes and Respiratory Disease: A Replication, Extension, and Future Directions
- Debunking this study: Association of E-Cigarette Use With Respiratory Disease Among Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis
- Debunking this press release: E-Cigarettes Significantly Raise Risk of Chronic Lung Disease, First Long-Term Study Finds
2016: New Study on E-Cigarettes and Bronchitis: An Example of Scientific Dishonesty and Deception
- The rest of the story is that essentially what we have here is an example of scientific dishonesty and apparently intentional deception of the journal readers and the public. For a movement that has devoted so much attention to attacking the tobacco industry for its deception and scientific dishonesty, I believe that we need to adhere to the highest standards of honesty and transparency in our scientific reporting. This is not happening in our reporting of the health effects of vaping, and it is certainly not happening in this study and the dissemination of its results.
- Debunking the Abstract of: Electronic Cigarette Use and Respiratory Symptoms in Adolescents
- Debunking this Press Release: E-cigarette use linked to risk of respiratory symptoms among adolescents
2015 New Study Finds that Average Diacetyl Exposure from Vaping is 750 Times Lower than from Smoking
ENDS - Formaldehyde
2017 E-cigarettes emit very high formaldehyde levels only in conditions that are aversive to users: A replication study under verified realistic use conditions
ENDS - Exhaled breath (e.g. secondhand vapour)
2015 New study proves there is no second-hand vaping: e-cigarette aerosol contains less volatile compounds than normal exhaled breath
ENDS - Oral Health
2015 Electronic cigarettes induce DNA strand breaks and cell death independently of nicotine in cell lines
- The Roswell Park findings run counter to what lead author of a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) study, Jessica Wang-Rodriguez, told The Daily Mail in December. Wang-Rodriguez said “I believe they are no better than smoking regular cigarettes.” That study was published in the journal Oral Oncology.
- The DCNF reported in December that not only were the cells used in the UCSD study “not completely comparable to cells within a living person,” but the dosage was comparable to someone smoking “for hours on end,” so it wasn’t representative of real world e-cig use. Further, the cell cultures already had “squamous cell carcinoma,” meaning the cells already had cancer.
- “All this study is highlighting is the fact that exposing already cancerous cells to cigarette smoke, nicotine or vapor may accelerate cell death, but of course, only if you swim in it,” Paul Barnes of Facts Do Matter told TheDCNF in December.
ENDS - Gateway
2015 On Gateway effects
2018 expert debunks vaping gateway myth
ENDS - Heart Disease
2020 Vaping Nicotine Is Far Less Harmful Than Smoking Tobacco
2019: E-cigarette use increases the risk of stroke and heart attack: conclusions that constitute epidemiological malpractice
- Dr Farsalinos: “Increasing the risk” means that someone is FIRST exposed to a condition (in this case, exposed to e-cigarette use) and THEN, BECAUSE OF THIS EXPOSURE, he/she develops disease. Both studies CANNOT provide any of this information to substantiate an increased risk. Both are cross-sectional surveys, meaning that they asked participants if they have heart disease and if they use e-cigarettes. The studies provide no information on whether e-cigarette use was initiated before (and how long before) or after the development of disease. What if participants used e-cigarettes after they developed the disease in order to quit smoking?
- The same concerns were raised by Holly R. Middlekauff, MD and Jeffrey Gornbein, DrPH in their 2019 paper: Association of Electronic Cigarette Use With Myocardial Infarction: Persistent Uncertainty.
- Debunking this study: Association Between Electronic Cigarette Use and Myocardial Infarction
- Debunking this conference abstract: E-cigarettes linked to higher risk of stroke, heart attack, diseased arteries
- Debunking this Medical Xpress article: E-cigarettes linked to higher risk of stroke, heart attack, diseased arteries
2016: Response to stories suggesting that vaping is as bad for the heart as cigarettes
- Professor Peter Hajek: “The study is reporting on a well-known short-term effect of nicotine – stiffening of arteries – that accompanies all types of stimulation. The same effect is generated by watching a thriller or a football match or sitting an exam. Drinking a cup of coffee actually produces a larger response of much longer duration. The key heart health risks of smoking are not caused by nicotine but by other chemicals in tobacco smoke that are not present in e-cigarette vapour.”
RETRACTED: Retraction to: Electronic Cigarette Use and Myocardial Infarction Among Adults in the US Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health
- Given these issues, the editors are concerned that the study conclusion is unreliable.
- The editors hereby retract the article from publication in Journal of the American Heart Association
- News items regarding the retraction
nyu scientists and others call for taxpayer funded ucsf vaping study probe
Study linking vaping to heart attacks muddied amid spat between two tobacco researchers
Journal Retracts "Unreliable" Glantz Study Tying Vaping to Heart Attacks
2011 If the data contradict the theory, throw out the data: Nicotine addiction in the 2010 report of the Surgeon General
ENDS - Youth
See also Youth Epidemic
2020 Canada takes a wrong turn after a flawed paper induces moral panic about youth vaping and smoking
ENDS - Multiple Myths
2020: 8 Things to know about Ecigaretes
- 8 Things that you should know, Covers myths around EVALI etc.
- Not surprisingly, there are lots of inaccuracies and misconceptions about e-cigarettes and vaping. This blog looks at some of the most common myths and provides the facts.
2020 Vapingis still at least 95% lower risk than smoking - debunking a feeble and empty critique
2020 https://voxeu.org/article/research-claims-link-between-e-cigarettes-and-respiratory-disease-not-so-fast
2020 https://www.smokefreeworld.org/new-research-questions-link-between-e-cigarettes-and-respiratory-disease/
2019 New tobacco products, a threat for tobacco control and public health of Mexico
2019 Response to “New tobacco products, a threat for tobacco control and public health of Mexico”
- We read with serious concern the position article by Reynales-Shigematsu et al. about combustion-free nicotine delivery products and public health [1]. The authors not only fail to present a balanced overview of the risk-benefit ratio of these new technologies, but grossly misrepresent the existing evidence and ignore the broad consensus that Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), Alternative Nicotine Delivery Systems (ANDS), and E-Cigs (electronic cigarettes or vaporizers) use is considerably less harmful than continuation of smoking [2-6]. By placing a greater emphasis on potential risks and disregarding possible benefits the authors fail to consider that ENDS, ANDS and E-Cigs use may represent an opportunity for public health.
2019 Association of E-Cigarette Use With Respiratory Disease Among Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis
2019 vapers beware new study does not show.....
- This study is deeply flawed because it fails to consider the most likely explanation for the study findings: that people who use e-cigarettes more likely have a history of more intense smoking than people who do not use e-cigarettes. For example, one study found that while only 21% of adult smokers who did not vape were heavy smokers, 68% of adult smokers who did vape were heavy smokers (or had been heavy smokers).
2019 HowRegulators Misunderstand The Toxicity Arguments About E-Cigarettes
2019 Bloomberg’s Hitjob
2018: Clearing up some myths around e-cigarettes
Google doc on THC cutting agents from early in the EVALI outbreak
2016 This Study Is The Last Thing Anti-E-Cig Crusaders Want To See
ENDS - Popcorn Lung
Cancer Research UK: Does vaping cause popcorn lung?
- No. There’s no good evidence that e-cigarettes could cause the lung condition called popcorn lung. There’s been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung reported in people who use e-cigarettes.
- There is 750x more diacetyl in a pack of cigarettes than there is in a days worth of vaping nicotine fluid, and to date we have no confirmation that smokers are getting popcorn lung.
THR - Articles
2020: Public Health Experts Outraged by Bloomberg-Funded Biased Study
- A number of consumer groups and public health experts, have raised serious concerns about the bias and false claims made by a recent University of Bath study, which explored the Twitter activity around the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Video
Long video with evidence on vaping myths!
Shorter video with less evidence presented, but more common sense!
Bell jar experiment by Public Health England!
To Do list
To do:
VapingNicotine Is Far Less Harmful Than Smoking Tobacco
NewStudy Finds that Average Diacetyl Exposure from Vaping is 750 TimesLower than from Smoking
https://twitter.com/ChaunceyGardner/status/1300121610448441347
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/news/vaping-news/2020-09-03_heavy-metal.html