Facts and Statistics

Switching to vaping reduces your exposure to toxins

Reduced risk (vs smoking)

When people switch completely from smoking to vaping, exposure to harmful chemicals falls sharply.

Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals, with at least 70 known carcinogens. UK reviews look beyond lab theory to biomarkers in real people, showing that adults who switch completely from smoking to regulated vapes have substantially lower levels of toxicant exposure.

NHS guidance also notes that vape aerosol doesn’t contain tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful constituents of smoke.

• Toxins in smoke: Cigarettes release 5,000+ chemicals; ≥70 cause cancer.

• Government-commissioned 2022 evidence update: vaping poses a “small fraction of the risks of smoking” in the short to medium term.

• No tar or carbon monoxide in vape aerosol (unlike smoke).

• Studies collated in the OHID/KCL review show markedly lower toxicant biomarkers in exclusive vapers vs smokers.

• UK consumers can report suspected issues via MHRA Yellow Card; products must be pre-notified to MHRA before sale.

2.7 million people have used vapes to quit smoking 

Vaping Works For Quitting

Evidence shows that nicotine vapes are actually more effective than nicotine replacement therapies, like patches or gum.

However there are alternatives to vaping - the choice is yours....

Some people find vaping helps them because the hand-to-mouth action is like smoking, plus you get similar sensations, like "throat hit". It's important to choose an e-liquid with enough nicotine to reduce withdrawal symptoms and urges to smoke. A specialist vape shop or your local Stop Smoking Service can advise you.

The Cochrane living systematic review—considered the gold standard—concludes with high-certainty evidence that nicotine vapes help more people quit than nicotine-replacement therapy (patches/gum) alone.

On the NHS, e-cigarettes are presented as a less harmful alternative that can support long-term abstinence from smoking.

• (Cochrane): Roughly 8–10 in 100 people quit with nicotine vapes, versus about 6 in 100 with NRT alone (≥6-month outcomes).

• NICE guideline NG209 includes nicotine e-cigarettes within stop-smoking support for adults. 

• NHS states vapes are far less harmful than cigarettes and don’t produce tar or carbon monoxide. 

Save around £49 per week

Benefits to family life

For some people, a big reason for switching is to be there for their family and friends.

Also, becoming a smoke-free role model means your children are much less likely to take up smoking.

Cigarettes are costly, and every one you don’t smoke adds up fast.

Many UK smokers average ~10–12 a day, so the weekly spend (and potential saving) is often higher.

Prices change with duty, but the direction is clear: quitting smoking keeps real money in your pocket.

At-a-glance (weekly spend at £16.23/20):5 a day → ~£28/week. 

8–9 a day → ~£45–£51/week (≈ your “£49/week” headline).

10 a day → ~£57/week.

20 a day → ~£114/week.

Why we use these figures:

Pack price source: Office for National Statistics RPI average price, 20 king-size filter (Q4 2024: £16.23).

Typical consumption: UK averages are ~11/day (men 11.7; women 10.9, 2023).

ASH Method: weekly cost = (cigs/day ÷ 20 × £16.23) × 7. (Brand & duty vary; your spend may differ.)