Tuesday 3 December 2013

Piss Poor Research from 'Smoke Free Manchester' - a rebuttal

Smoke Free Manchester have produced a leaflet about electronic cigarettes.

It is either the result of piss-poor research or deliberate disinformation.

The leaflet of incorrect information from Smoke Free Manchester is reproduced below.




EVERY SINGLE LINE CONTAINS AN ERROR !

So lets have a look at each line :

"Are Electronic cigarettes safe ? - We don't know"  -  Yes we do, there has been extensive research by highly qualified Doctors such as the people working at the Clearstream Project, to name just one of many.
We know that electronic cigarettes are about 1000 times less harmful than cigarettes and on a par with caffeine use.

"There is no proof they are safe" - as above. Also to note that they are used as an alternative to tobacco smoking and equally there is no proof that they are unsafe.

"The vapour may reduce the oxygen levels in your body" - completely evidence free statement, with the "may" caveat - pure propaganda.

"There is no proof that they can help people stop smoking" - False, there is plenty of proof that they provide a suitable alternative to smoking tobacco. If they didn't work then people would stop using them. In the real world the growth is exponential - what does that tell you ?

"They may irritate some conditions" - using the "may" word again. However if you do not suffer from asthma or COPD then there is no reason for a smoker not to try them.

"There is no proof that they are safe for use during pregnancy" - Same as NRT, if the alternative is smoking then it is a no-brainer (a term that appears to apply to the author of this leaflet)

"E-cigarettes are not regulated" - yes they are, there are over 15 EU regulations that apply to them and indeed it is simply not possible to launch a product in the EU without regulations applying. - Very poor research from the brain dead author.

"There is now way of knowing what you are breathing in" - Yes there is, see the Clearstream Project (above) that conducts tests on the vapour that is produced. Ask your vendor if their liquid is tested, it is not hard to find a supplier that can provide tested liquid.
Also to note that the primary ingredient, PG, is regarded as safe and has been for decades and is also the main propellant in asthma inhalers (that are used by the NHS).

ANY OTHER RISKS ?

"E-cigarettes and chargers have exploded" - as have mobile phones and laptops, indeed anything that contains a rechargeable battery carries this (small) risk - often caused by not using the correct charger or one that was not supplied with the kit. A simple search on google with the term 'mobile phone explodes' or 'mobile phone fire' will bring up many more examples than can be found for e-cigs - Is Smoke Free Manchester also calling for people to never use a mobile or a laptop ?

"Using an e-cigarette makes smoking seem okay to children" - another evidence free statement, and what research there is indicates that children are supportive of their parents using an alternative to smoking.

"Using e-cigarettes indoors undermines the smoke free message" - No it does not. It promotes alternatives to tobacco smoking for smokers.

ANYTHING ELSE ?

"Many e-cigarette manufacturers are owned by tobacco companies" - yet more feeble research. In the UK only 2 out of hundreds of suppliers are owned by tobacco companies. A tiny proportion, and one which bears no significance at all on the relative safety, or not, of e-cigs. Japan Tobacco International (JTI) which trades in the UK as 'Gallagher' have developed an HIV treatment that is already available in Japan and soon to be licenced in the USA and Europe. Would Smoke Free Manchester advise an HIV patient to refuse treatment because it was developed by a tobacco company ?


I will go on record as saying that the author of this leaflet by Smoke Free Manchester is a cretin, a fool, a dingbat - who has done little research on the subject before publication, and as a result is providing poor information to the public.






12 comments:

  1. Pack of lies. Had asthma for over 10 years, respiratory problems. which nurse said was COPDS, for much longer. Switched to ecig 4 years ago - instant improvement! Haven't had an antibiotic or steroid since. These people should be in court for misleading the public.

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  2. I have many customers who report that they no longer use their inhalers, it must be making the Pharmaceutical companies weep.

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  3. what utter rubbish. shout it from the rooftops that smoke free manchester is deceiving the public and publishing mis-information. i'm not asthmatic but my husband is. and guess what? since i switched to e-cigs he's noticed a dramatic decline in the number of instances he needs to use his inhaler. he was the reason i switched! if i'd gone the NRT route wich we all know has a success rate of 5% to 7% i'd have more than likely ended up back smoking again and he'd be worse off. these people are liars.

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  4. They not only helped me stop smoking, they actually stopped me smoking. So that's proof right there. I haven't had an asthma attack since I started using electronic cigarettes. So they haven't irritated the condition, quite the opposite. They are regulated. I checked, unlike the author of the pamphlet. I know *exactly* what I am breathing in. Why does the author say I don't? I do hope that someone can call the author of this drivel to account.

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  5. If every one switched to e-cigs that lot are out of work think about it

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  6. Never ceases to amaze how organisations such as this that are supposed to be there to help can release information like this??!!

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  7. I would also add...
    "Using e-cigarettes indoors undermines the smokefree message" How exactly? Considering they are actually 'smokefree'!

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  8. They are lying to save their jobs. If this is typical of their standard of research & reporting true facts, who`d want to employ these "cretins", possibly B.A.T.
    Join Glantz,McKee,Chapman,McAvan, in the unemployment lines, when the "TRUTH" is admitted by W.H.O.

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  9. Good Response Matt,
    These idiots should be made legally accountable for their publishing of such lies.
    E-cigs are the single best discovery for harm reduction ever. Proof - I quit using tobacco the very day I found the right device for me - an 'ego'.
    It looks nothing like a ciggie - dispelling the gateway and normalisation theories, and after being on 40 a day, its amazing how much better and healthier I am.
    Ive never had a device 'explode', I know what I'm inhaling, and its SMOKE FREE.
    So many people are switching just proving even more that their NHS quit kits are pathetic, and these people are scared that their funding is about to end.

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  10. Even ASH UK says there is 'little real world harm from e-cigarettes'. Ignore the lies, buy an e-cigarette and it will save your life.

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  11. Looks like the usual rubbish spouted by NHS stop smoking morons, are they saying that nicotine patches are safe for pregnant women ? It looks like the Manchester office manager got the receptionist to write it while he went off for a fag.

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