Clearing the Air

Vapes and HTPs reduce toxin exposure by more than 90%, Lithuanian study finds Vapes cut toxic chemical exposure by up to 98 per cent, including major carcinogens Heated tobacco products (HTPs) reduce harmful substances by up to 91 per cent Some emissions in vapes and HTPs fall…

Lithuanian review of 15 independent studies: 🚭 Smoking → >7,000 chemicals, 100+ harmful
🔥 Heated tobacco = up to 91% fewer toxins 💨 Vapes = up to 98% fewer toxins - that’s a massive health win. #HarmReduction #THR clearingtheair.eu/post/vapes-a...

Flavour bans cut youth vaping – but slow cigarette smoking decline, study finds Flavour bans led to drops in vaping among young adults and adults over 25 Youth vape use declined faster in states with bans But youth and young adult smoking rates fell more slowly in those states…

Flavour bans = less vaping, more smoking. Youth vape use fell faster in banned states, but so did the decline in smoking. Unintended consequences in action. #TobaccoControl #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/flavour...

New Zealand nears smoke-free status thanks to vaping, says minister New Zealand is on the cusp of becoming one of the first countries to go officially smoke-free - and it’s thanks to vaping and other safer nicotine alternatives, according to its Associate Minister of…

New Zealand is about to go officially smoke-free, and it’s because of vaping, not bans. A rare public health win powered by harm reduction. #SmokeFree #HarmReduction clearingtheair.eu/post/new-zea...

Illegal vape sales persist across UK despite disposables ban UK retailers are being asked daily for banned disposable vapes, and in many places they’re still being sold illegally, according to new findings. A Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) survey of its…

In Cardiff, banned vapes are still being sold over the counter, from back rooms, and even past expiry. Meanwhile, legal shops are left explaining a law no one understands. clearingtheair.eu/post/illegal...

Voices of Harm Reduction Pt 8: Arielle Selya Arielle Selya is a former academic turned consultant. She set out to prove that the “gateway hypothesis” - that vaping leads to smoking in young people - was real, but ended up disproving it. When…

She tried to prove vaping leads kids to smoke. The data said it didn’t. Her academic peers ignored her. So she left. Meet @ArielleSelya 🔗 clearingtheair.eu/en/post/voic...

Vaping better for gums than smoking, says major German review Vaping and other smoke-free nicotine products cause less oral harm than smoking Combustible cigarette users showed the worst results across four oral health categories Vapers landed between smokers…

Want better teeth and gums? Stop smoking. Can’t quit? Switch. Vaping causes far less damage according to 52 studies. #HarmReduction clearingtheair.eu/post/vaping-...

Anti-vaping messages discourage smokers from quitting, warns new review Public health messages warning of the dangers of vaping may be contributing to a growing misperception that vapes are just as harmful as smoking, a new King’s College London review has said.…

⚠️ 7 in 10 smokers wrongly believe vaping is as dangerous as smoking. A King’s College review blames poor public health messaging for fuelling this deadly misperception. #VapeFacts #TobaccoControl clearingtheair.eu/post/anti-va...

STUDY: Flavour bans make things worse Flavor bans for vaping are associated with increased cigarette use and black-market activity, including the risk of youth access and reduced consumer safety, according to a new policy paper from the…

🚫 Flavour bans = more smoking. New report from @tholos : Banning vape flavours leads to more cigarette use, more black market activity, less quitting, and more youth risk. 80%+ of vapers prefer smart regulation over bans. #HarmReduction #Vaping #EUhealth clearingtheair.eu/post/study-f...

Disposable ban fails to stick as quarter of UK retailers break the law Nearly one in four UK vape retailers are selling disposable vapes illegally just weeks after they were banned, according to a new investigation. The findings, published by online nicotine retailer…

🛑 1 in 4 vape retailers in the UK are illegally selling disposables after the June 1 ban📍 London, Glasgow, Birmingham among the worst 📦 Some stores ask for cash only & refuse receipts
This is Australia all over again. #Vaping #NicotinePolicy clearingtheair.eu/post/disposa...

Public confusion over vaping risks is missed opportunity to help smokers quit, warns ASH Adult vaping rates have stalled at 10 per cent, while smoking remains unchanged at 13 per cent More than half (56 per cent) of adults now wrongly believe vaping is as or more harmful than smoking…

More than 1 in 2 UK adults now believe vaping is as or more harmful than smoking. Meanwhile 🧒 Teen smoking is rising 🚬 Adult switching is stalling ASH says: “This is the worst of both worlds.” #HarmReduction #Smokefree2030 clearingtheair.eu/post/public-...

Vaping better than NRT at helping disadvantaged smokers quit, Australian study finds Smokers given flavoured vapes were three times more likely to quit than those using gum or lozenges Nearly one in three vape users stayed smoke-free after six months, versus one in 10 using nicotine…

📢 New Australian study: Flavoured vapes nearly 3x more effective than nicotine gum or lozenges at helping smokers quit, especially among low-income groups. And with fewer side effects. #HarmReduction #Vaping #AusPol clearingtheair.eu/post/vaping-...

Smokeless nicotine is at the heart of Sweden’s smoking decline, says leading expert Smokeless nicotine products - not abstinence - are driving Sweden’s dramatic drop in smoking, according to a leading clinical psychologist. “Smokeless nicotine is at the heart of Sweden’s smoking…

Sweden didn’t slash smoking rates by banning nicotine. It did it by offering safer nicotine.
As Karl Fagerström puts it: “Smokeless nicotine is at the heart of Sweden’s smoking decline.”
#HarmReduction #Snus #NicotinePouches clearingtheair.eu/en/post/smok...

FDA authorises Juul to sell vapes in U.S. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised Juul Labs to market its vapes and tobacco and menthol-flavoured pods in the U.S. The ruling marks a significant development for the company,…

FDA to Juul: Welcome back. Years after banning them, the agency now says their products “protect public health.” Evidence matters. #Juul #FDA #TobaccoControl clearingtheair.eu/post/fda-aut...

WHO fails to read its own treaty The World Health Organisation is urging its members to classify “harm reduction” as a tobacco industry narrative, despite the concept being classified as a tobacco control strategy in its own treaty.…

🚨 WHO calls “harm reduction” a tobacco industry narrative. But their own treaty, the FCTC, defines it as tobacco control. They’re now contradicting the very treaty they’re meant to uphold. clearingtheair.eu/post/who-fai...

French nicotine pouch ban on hold amid EU backlash France has once again delayed its ban on nicotine pouches, pushing enforcement to August 25 after seven European Union (EU) countries filed formal objections. Originally scheduled to take effect on…

⚖️ France’s pouch ban is so extreme, 7 EU countries just hit pause. clearingtheair.eu/post/french-...

‘Ethics Abandoned’: Pregnant women given free cigarettes and told to keep smoking in low-nicotine cigarette trial In a revelation that has stunned public health observers, pregnant women in a government-funded U.S. clinical trial are being given free cigarettes and explicitly instructed to continue smoking as…

Shocking: Pregnant women were given free cigarettes and told to keep smoking, by researchers.
Funded by the U.S. government. You read that right. How did this pass ethics review? clearingtheair.eu/post/ethics-...

Vapes could save millions of life years in Ukraine, new study finds Up to 13.11 million life years could be saved through vaping in Ukraine 88 per cent of scenarios analysed showed a positive impact from vape use Average reduction in smoking-related life years lost…

💥 New Study: Ukraine loses 75,000 people a year to smoking. Switching to vapes could save millions of life years. clearingtheair.eu/post/vapes-c...

Flavoured vapes help smokers cut down and lower cancer risk, U.S analysis finds Higher vape use led to significantly greater reduction in daily cigarette smoking Smokers given fruit or mint flavoured vapes used them more often than those given tobacco-flavoured ones, and were…

New study: Flavoured vapes help smokers cut down AND reduce cancer risk. clearingtheair.eu/post/flavour...

The true cost of the EU tax grab The European Commission wants to hike taxes of safer nicotine products, a move which will cause enormous pain for consumers, most of whom just want to stop smoking. In an announcement on 16th July,…

How hard will the EU’s new tobacco & vape tax proposal hit you? Check in seconds, our calculator is built on the Commission’s 16 July data. Share your result & tag your MEP. clearingtheair.eu/en/post/the-...

Czechia moves to ban candy-flavoured vapes The Czech Ministry of Health has moved to ban candy-flavoured vapes in an attempt to curb rising youth vaping rates. Under the proposed regulation, sweet and dessert-inspired flavours like cotton…

🚨 Czechia to ban candy-flavoured vapes, but strawberry and banana are still OK.
Confused? So is everyone else. clearingtheair.eu/post/czechia...

Vapers face £1,000 fines under new UK Metro ban Metro passengers in the UK can now be slapped with fines of up to £1,000 for vaping anywhere on the network under a controversial new byelaw. The public transport operator Nexus says it introduced…

🛑  New UK byelaw: You can now be fined £1,000 for vaping on the Metro. clearingtheair.eu/en/post/vape...

Kate Moss spotted vaping and enjoying a beer at BST Hyde Park festival Kate Moss turned heads at British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park on Friday as she was seen casually vaping and sipping a beer during Neil Young’s headline set. The 51-year-old supermodel looked…

Kate Moss: still iconic, now vaping instead of smoking. The ‘greatest smoker of all time’ switches to harm reduction. clearingtheair.eu/post/kate-mo...

Most teens who try vaping have quit within a year, new national U.S study finds More than half of teens who tried vaping had quit by the following year, a new U.S study finds Just 5.6 per cent of teens who tried vaping became regular users a year later The most common pattern…

NEW STUDY: Most teens who try vaping stop within a year. Only 1 in 20 becomes a regular user. So much for the “epidemic”. clearingtheair.eu/post/most-te...

Smoking declines as vaping rises in Czech Republic, new figures show Cigarette smoking is falling out of favour in the Czech Republic as more people - especially the young - turn to lower-risk nicotine alternatives like vaping, new government data reveals. In a…

📉 New Czech data: smoking drops, vaping rises. A harm reduction success in the making. #harmreduction #vaping clearingtheair.eu/post/smoking...

Swedish finance minister hits back at EU tax on nicotine pouches Elisabeth Svantesson, the Swedish Minister of Finance, has hit back at plans - first revealed on Clearing the Air - to make levies on tobacco and nicotine products part of the EU budget. “Leaks…

🇸🇪🔥 Sweden’s Finance Minister just torched the EU’s nicotine pouch tax plan. “Totally unacceptable.” clearingtheair.eu/post/swedish...

Australia’s youth smoking and vaping rates surge after vape ban Shock new data shows smoking and vaping rates are surging among young Australians despite the sweeping ban on vapes. Young people aged 18 to 24 now have the highest rate of smoking or vaping of any…

More young Australians now vape AND smoke than before the ban, and it's all through the black market. Public health failure in real time. clearingtheair.eu/post/austral...

EXCLUSIVE: vaping and nicotine tax to be part of the EU budget The long awaited EU Tobacco Excise Directive - which, as we revealed on Clearing the Air - will include massive increases on taxes for vapes and nicotine pouches - could be designed to directly…

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Vaping and nicotine pouch taxes are being baked directly into the EU’s long-term budget. Health policy? No. This is now a money grab. Full story 👇 #EU #EUPolitics #EUPolicy clearingtheair.eu/en/post/excl...

£100 fines for vaping at bus stops under proposed new powers Vapers across the UK could soon be fined up to £100 for using vapes at bus stops, under new powers being considered by Parliament. The proposed changes would give local transport authorities, such as…

🚏 Vape at a bus stop? That’s £100, mate. Because nothing says “public health” like pushing ex-smokers into the street, then fining them. clearingtheair.eu/en/post/100-...

Vapes risk “renormalising” smoking, claims major new WHO report WHO says vapes risk “renormalising smoking behaviour,” particularly among youth The 2025 report warns newer nicotine products may reverse public health gains Vapes are described as “addictive and…

🗣️ Clive Bates: “Vaping has normalised quitting smoking.” WHO: “Vaping renormalises smoking.” Only one of these positions is backed by evidence. clearingtheair.eu/post/vapes-r...

Most HTP users say the product helped them quit smoking, Greek study finds Most heated tobacco product (HTP) users polled (67.8%) were verified former smokers, confirmed via carbon monoxide breath tests Of these, 90.1% said HTPs helped them quit cigarettes entirely Daily…

🔥 New data from Greece: 7 in 10 HTP users were confirmed ex-smokers. Daily HTP use = 7x higher quit rates. HTPs are helping people quit. Let’s follow the science. 🚭 clearingtheair.eu/post/most-ht...