Liverpool expert issues urgent warning to anyone who vapes
A warning has been issued to anyone who vapes. The number of people vaping has grown in recent years, with many using it as a tool to quit smoking cigarettes.
However, concerns have been raised over the number of children vaping. The British Medical Association (BMA) has argued children are being targeted with colours, branding and flavours such as bubble gum or candy floss to push a product that can lead to nicotine addiction.
According to data from health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), 7.6% of 11 to 17 year-olds in Great Britain have tried vapes, compared to 1.3% in 2014. 11% of adults currently vape, which is an all-time high.
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Dr Maxime Boidin, 38, who lives in Mossley Hill, has been researching the effects of vaping on the cardiovascular system. These are the organs and vessels that supply blood, oxygen, nutrients, and other substances to the body. Dr Boidon has been studying the impact of vaping since 2023 as part of his role as a senior lecturer in cardiac rehabilitation at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Dr Boidin has been comparing vapers, smokers and people who don’t use either, called ‘controls’. The participants are of similar ages and partake in similar levels of physical activities. While the study has not been completed, he argues some alarming findings are emerging. He says vaping every day leads to a similar damage on the blood vessels as smoking. Damaged blood vessels can lead to organ and kidney failure.
Dr Boidin also said that he sees damage in blood vessels that go to the brain which could ultimately lead to cognitive dysfunction. He also reached the same conclusion for fitness, where vapers and smokers are both less fit than people who do not vape or smoke.
He told the ECHO: “We can look at people’s blood vessels and see who is more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or die. We can look at controls, vapers and smokers. So far, the vapers have a similar impaired or damaged blood vessel to the smokers. It applies to fitness as well - that includes the lung, the heart, the blood vessels, the muscles. When you do a fitness test, vapers are as unfit as smokers and much less fit than the controls.”
Dr Boidin said he was not surprised by the findings. He said: “To get damaged blood vessels, there will be bad substances in the blood vessels. We already know that inflammation leads to this process. There’s nicotine in there but it might be possible that the different flavours in vapes could lead to inflammation. When you put something like that inside your body, you can't expect nothing to happen.”
E-cigarettes and vapes work by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, and flavourings. By vaping, you inhale nicotine in a vapour rather than smoke it like a cigarette. They do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, unlike tobacco smoke.
The NHS has said that vaping is "far less harmful" than smoking. It has also cited a study into quitting smoking which found that those who vaped and had face-face support “can be up to twice as likely to succeed as people who used other nicotine replacement products, such as patches or gum”.
Given the use of e-cigarettes and vaping is relatively new, not much is known about the long-term effects of using them. The NHS have said on the topic: “Vaping has not been around for long enough to know the risks of long-term use. While vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, it is unlikely to be totally harmless.” The NHS has also advised that non-smokers should not start vaping.
Dr Boidin said he was “not an expert” on the content that vapes contain, but argues nicotine does have an impact on your lungs. Where vapes are used and the sweet smells they emit are causing them to be normalised, in his opinion. He said: “You might think that is not very harmful. I go to different pubs - even the staff inside are vaping. People vape inside the car. I do the school run and I see people vape in the car with their kid.
“I understand why people think it’s safe but we don’t really know. My aim is to try and understand how vape is impacting people, positive or not. Just because the smoke smells of blackberry and blackcurrant doesn’t mean it's safe.”
In today’s budget, Chancellor Rachael Reeves scrapped the graduated approach based on nicotine content and introduced a "flat-rate duty" of £2.20 per 10ml across all strengths, set to take effect from October 1, 2026. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was introduced during the King's Speech by Labour and aims to regulate vape flavour profiles, packaging, and retail display. The government will also ban the sale of disposable vapes from next summer. Dr Boidin says the latter can be one option as part of several measures to regulate the sales of vapes.
He said: “We need to understand vape as a tool to quit smoking. It has to be more regulated. I think the reason for banning disposable vapes is more of an ecological reason than a health one. That's a good start in addition to other ways to control vaping a bit more.
“Vaping helps people to quit smoking. Maybe if it was only available through the NHS and not in shops, that might be the best option. It's too accessible.” Others have warned against stronger regulation.
In response to calls from the BMA to ban disposable vapes and restrict what can be on the packaging, John Dunne, director general of vaping trade body, the UKVIA, said: “Stronger measures are needed to cut off the supply of youth vaping and illicit products, but the proposals in this report would supercharge the black market, deter adult smokers from making the switch and drive current vapers into the hands of underground sellers or back to cigarettes. What’s needed to stop underage and illicit vape sales is a licensing scheme to prevent inappropriate businesses selling e-cigarettes, and stronger penalties for those caught flouting the law.”
If you would like to be involved in the study, you can contact M.Boidin@mmu.ac.uk for more information.