TELEGRAPH (UK) – Rishi Sunak has vowed to “stop our kids getting hooked on nicotine” – as a study has found for the first time that vaping damages mouth cells in the same way as cigarettes.
Changes in the make-up of the cells in the cheek lining, which have been linked to cancer, are the same for those using vapes as cigarettes, scientists have discovered.
The revelation comes as the Prime Minister is set to introduce a landmark ban on smoking and new restrictions on vapes to Parliament on Wednesday.
Scientists from University College London (UCL) stressed that the research findings did not mean that vaping caused cancer. However, the study is the first major insight into the impact of the devices on healthy human cells.
The study compared cells in the cheeks and blood of more than 3,500 healthy people who had never had cancer and regularly used either tobacco, e-cigarettes or smokeless tobacco, such as snuff.
Researchers found that the cheek cells of vape users had undergone similar alterations to their make-up as those seen in smokers and that exposure for more than a year may damage the cells’ detoxification abilities – but that it was reversible if stopped.
The changes to the epithelial cells, which line the organs and are typically where cancer starts, have been proven to progress to cancer in the lungs of smokers.
The researchers said it suggested that vapes may not be as “harmless” as initially thought.
Mr Sunak will set out his proposals to MPs on Wednesday. The measures include a ban on disposable vapes, along with new restrictions on flavours like berry burst and cherry blast, on colourful packaging and on where such products are placed in shops.
The plans aim to put an end to vapes being targeted at children.
The number of people of all ages in the UK who use vapes has grown rapidly over the last decade to around five million …
