ONE in 10 adults are now long-term vapers as e-cigarette use has risen nearly tenfold in a decade, a study found. Research by University College London found about 10 per cent of people in England have used vapes for six months or longer. A massive one in four 18-year-olds – 23 per cent – have taken up the habit.
It is catching up with traditional cigarette smoking, on 13 per cent, and has already surpassed it in younger age groups. Most people have only started vaping since 2021, during a boom in disposable devices. Experts fear non-smokers are risking their health.
For non-smokers, vaping over a sustained period will expose them to harm Study author Dr Sarah Jackson said: “Our results show there has been an exceptionally steep rise in the number of young adults vaping for more than six months since new disposable e-cigarettes were introduced to the market. “While most long-term vapers have a history of smoking, rates have also increased among those who have never regularly smoked. “For these people, vaping regularly over a sustained period will expose them to more harm than if they had done neither.
” The study, published in the British Medical Journal, recorded a huge rise in regular vapers compared to 10 years ago. It estimated just 1.3 per cent of adults had used an e-cigarette for six months or more in 2013.
It means a roughly eight-fold increase between then and October 2023, the latest data. People who had recently quit fags were most likely to vape, with 3.
