Vaping has surged in popularity in the UK, with usage rising sevenfold over the past 12 years, from 800,000 users in 2012 to 5.6million in 2024, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
While the number of people smoking continues to fall, concerns are mounting that e-cigarettes, once touted as an imperfect remedy, present unique and serious risks of their own, including long-term health effects, the volume of e-waste produced by vaping products, and fires caused by lithium-ion batteries.
In November 2024, Donna King, 46, from Nottingham, lost her home after her reusable vape’s lithium-ion battery exploded, causing a house fire.
King, who had left her rechargeable vape in the cupholder in her sofa before going upstairs to bed, said: “I was devastated. It’s soul destroying.”
“At two in the morning, I heard this beeping and opened the door, saw all this smoke and heard banging and crackling.
“I said to my partner, ‘I think we’re on fire.'”
King then put a jacket under the door to stop the smoke from seeping into the room, but soon, everything began to turn black.
The fire brigade turned up within five minutes and they both escaped through the bedroom window.
King and her partner had to move out of their house to live in temporary accommodation because the smoke damage was so severe, and the experience has left her traumatised.
She said: “I don’t vape anymore.
“If I see people I tell them, ‘Do you know what damage they can do?’.”
Incidents like Donna’s are part of a sharp rise in fires linked to vaping devices, particularly in bin lorries and at waste centres.
However, fires caused by smoking still remain the leading cause of fatal fires.
In London alone, there were 5,950 smoking-related incidents reported between 2014-2018, according to the London Fire Brigate.
Although the number of vape-related fires remains small compared to the number of vape users, the sharp increase of vaping means that the problem will naturally grow with it.
Donna believes that more public awareness is needed.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill
It is clear neither smoking nor vaping offers any heath benefit, while smoking cost England’s economy an estimated £43.7billion in 2023, according to ASH.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently in the House of Lords, aims to create a smoke-free generation by making it illegal from 1 January 2027 to sell tobacco or vapes to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.
This bill comes amid rising concerns about youth vaping, with 7.2% of children aged 11-17 (around 390,000) currently vaping and around 5.1% (about 280,000) who smoke in 2024 in Great Britain.
Among other measures, the bill will introduce restrictions on packaging, flavours, and advertising, and will introduce the UK’s first dedicated vaping tax.
Tobacco duty will also increase.
Smoking crisis to vaping crisis?
The NHS maintains vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it is recommended only as a tool to quit tobacco.
However, over a million people in England who now vape have never smoked, according to a 2024 study by The Lancet Public Health Journal.
And in December 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about “alarming evidence” linking vaping to long-term health issues.
What’s next?
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill marks one of the most significant shifts in UK public health policy in the last decade.
The single-use vape ban came into force on 1 June, but enforcement remains a challenge.
Meanwhile, the Labour government has ordered a £62million, 10-year research project to study the long-term effects of vaping on young people, suggesting vaping is far from a risk-free solution.
Ultimately, the true impact of vaping, on health, safety, and the environment, will only become clear with time.
The London Fire Brigade provides important safety tips for using and charging e-cigarettes to help prevent fires:
- Only use the chargers which came with the device.
- Never leave e-cigarettes charging unattended or on overnight.
- Don’t leave items continuously on charge after the charge cycle is complete.
- Do not cover batteries that are on charge, in case of overheating.
- Avoid storing, using, or charging batteries in extremes of high or low temperatures.
- Protect batteries against being damaged, crushed or punctured and don’t immerse in water.
- Never let your battery come into contact with metal items such as coins or keys in a pocket or bag, as this can cause a short circuit and explosion.
Image credit: E-liquids UK on Unsplash
Join the discussion