One in 10 adults in England now uses an e-cigarette, an eight-fold increase in a decade, according to worrying new data.
For comparison, in 2013, it was estimated that only one in 80 people were addicted.
What is worrying is that approximately one in six 18-year-olds who have never smoked are also long-term users of the devices.
In a nod to the government’s plan to ban disposable vapes, researchers said this is particularly concerning and “harmful to public health.”
Campaigners have long called for tougher rules, including an immediate ban on marketing to children and a tax on disposable vapes, which are particularly popular with teenagers.
Admission rates for “vaping-related disorders” among 20-year-olds have also increased sixfold over the same period. This comes amid a exploding e-cigarette epidemic among young people that the government has vowed to stamp out.
E-cigarettes allow people to inhale nicotine in the form of vapor. This vapor is created by heating a liquid, which typically contains propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings, and other chemicals.
Unlike traditional cigarettes, they do not contain tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon – two of the most dangerous elements.
The effect of nicotine on the brain is well known: within 20 seconds of inhalation, it causes the release of chemical messengers such as dopamine, which are associated with reward and pleasure.
But it also increases heart rate and blood pressure and causes blood vessels to constrict. This is because nicotine triggers the release of the hormone adrenaline.
In the study, researchers from University College London questioned nearly 180,000 adults about whether they smoke and what nicotine products they use.
Between October 2013 and October 2023, participants were asked about the use of various nicotine products depending on their smoking status.
People who reported vaping for more than six months were considered long-term vapers.
Data were also recorded on frequency of vaping (daily or non-daily) and the main type of device used (disposable, refillable, or pod).
Over the 10-year follow-up, they saw that the percentage of adults reporting long-term vaping increased from 1.3 percent to 10 percent.
In 2021 alone, this rose from 0.6 percent to 6.7 percent.
Among those who had never smoked regularly, the percentage also rose over the decade from 0.1 percent to 3 percent.
More than one in five (22.7 percent) 18-year-olds reported having vaped for more than six months (as of October 2023).
Write in The BMJResearchers said: ‘The recent increase in vaping among adults – particularly young adults – in England does not simply reflect an increase in experimental use, but rather the fact that a significant number of those who start vaping continue to do so in the long term.’
Despite NHS chiefs insisting it is safer than smoking, vaping is not without risk. E-cigarettes contain harmful toxins and their long-term effects remain a mystery.
Experts fear that the high nicotine content could raise blood pressure and cause other heart problems.
Doctors fear that in the coming decades there could be a wave of lung diseases, dental problems and even cancer in people who start smoking at a young age.
Campaigners have long blamed predatory manufacturers for the growing crisis, claiming they deliberately lure children in with colourful packaging, rather than highlighters, and child-friendly flavours such as bubble gum and candy floss.
In February, a total of 1,009 reactions to vapes were recorded by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Here are the 10 most common reports
A shocking MailOnline investigation last year even uncovered vapes that looked like sweets, with high street shops selling the devices alongside chocolate and fruit gummies
In April, a shocking study warned that e-cigarettes could increase the risk of heart failure.
Another suggestion is that vaping causes cell changes that could lead to cancer.
Earlier this year, MailOnline also found that the number of vaping side effects reported to UK regulators has now passed 1,000, with five of them being fatal.
The comprehensive list covers everything from headaches to strokes and is open to members of the public and medical professionals.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization described the evidence surrounding e-cigarettes as “complex” in a globally unique guideline outlining possible interventions to help people quit using tobacco products.
According to the UN agency, vapes cannot be recommended as a way to quit smoking because too little is known about their benefits and harms.
In a bid to stamp out the epidemic of child vaping in the UK, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last year pledged to ban disposable e-cigarettes altogether.
During today’s throne speech, Keir Starmer revealed that his law give ministers the power to restrict the flavours and promotion of vapes in a bid to tackle the e-cigarette epidemic among children in the UK.
This could change the way nicotine-containing vapes are presented in stores, making them less appealing to other products, such as candy.
They would have a limited number of flavors and be sold in simple, tobacco-like packaging.
Council officers will also be given the power to issue on-the-spot fines of £100 to shops that breach the rules.
