Question: Do you think your research will impact the way people view Electronic cigarettes as apposed to regular cigarettes, especially when considering their use amongst pregnant women?

Abby Hunter answered on 13 Jun 2018:

Very good question. Electronic cigarettes are now the most popular method for smokers wanting to quit, and it is much more preferable than smoking cigarettes, so if they help people get off the cigarettes i’m all for them.

I think there is still a lot of controversy surrounding e-cigs and still a lot of stigma, and a lot of media scare stories. One minute you read that E-cigs cause cancer, the next minute you hear that they are the best thing ever.

Public Health England are really pushing for e-cigs to become available on the NHS and say that they are 95% safer than cigarettes. Other nicotine replacement therapy is available on the NHS (patches, gum, spray), and really that’s all e-cigs are – a means to get nicotine without inhaling the harmful tar and chemicals that are in cigarettes. Public Health England also advise pregnant smokers to use e-cigs if they are unable to quit using other methods. But I do think there is a lot of stigma surrounding pregnant women using e-cigs. I think a lot of them might feel judged for doing so. But it is so much better for them and their baby than a cigarettes.

I hope with more research and greater awareness, people will become more accepting of e-cigs, and the media will stop all the conflicting stories and scaremongering.