Clearing the Air
@clearingtheair.bsky.social
Clearing the air provides multi-language news and analysis on tobacco and nicotine policy, with a European focus.
“Factually wrong.” Experts tear apart the study @OliverVarhelyi used to claim vapes are as dangerous as smoking. This is the evidence behind the EU’s clampdown. #HarmReduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/fact...
“Factually wrong”: experts destroy study used by EU Commission to justify nicotine clampdown
An academic article used by EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi to justify his assertion that safer nicotine products are as dangerous as smoking has been taken apart by a leading tobacco and nicotine…
clearingtheair.eu
December 19, 2025 at 9:14 AM
“Factually wrong.” Experts tear apart the study @OliverVarhelyi used to claim vapes are as dangerous as smoking. This is the evidence behind the EU’s clampdown. #HarmReduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/fact...
Spain’s competition watchdog urges the government to rethink its vape ban, warning it may breach EU law and impose unnecessary costs. #EUlaw #PublicHealth
Read more → clearingtheair.eu/post/spains-...
Read more → clearingtheair.eu/post/spains-...
Spain’s proposed vape crackdown sparks tourism industry backlash
Spain’s planned crackdown on vaping is facing pushback from regulators and hospitality groups, with warnings that a disposable vape ban could damage competition, confuse tourists and yield little…
clearingtheair.eu
December 18, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Spain’s competition watchdog urges the government to rethink its vape ban, warning it may breach EU law and impose unnecessary costs. #EUlaw #PublicHealth
Read more → clearingtheair.eu/post/spains-...
Read more → clearingtheair.eu/post/spains-...
Extraordinary move from Mexico: jailing vape sellers for up to 8 years while smoking rates are rising. WHO orthodoxy once again shows Tobacco Control isn’t public health. #HarmReduction #PublicHealth clearingtheair.eu/post/mexico-...
Mexico threatens eight years of jail in crackdown on vape sales
Mexico is moving to impose some of the world’s harshest penalties on vaping. New legal reforms would criminalise the production and sale of vapes nationwide. The Senate has passed changes to the…
clearingtheair.eu
December 17, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Extraordinary move from Mexico: jailing vape sellers for up to 8 years while smoking rates are rising. WHO orthodoxy once again shows Tobacco Control isn’t public health. #HarmReduction #PublicHealth clearingtheair.eu/post/mexico-...
BREAKING: The European Commission will fast-track revisions to EU tobacco laws, with a proposal now expected in 2026. After failing at WHO talks, Brussels is clearly trying to regain control. #EUHealth #HarmReduction clearingtheair.eu/post/eu-to-f...
EU to fast track new nicotine laws: proposal expected next year
The European Commission has announced that revisions to its tobacco control laws will be fast tracked, with a proposal now expected next year. A leaked draft of its Cardiovascular plan - now renamed…
clearingtheair.eu
December 16, 2025 at 11:13 AM
BREAKING: The European Commission will fast-track revisions to EU tobacco laws, with a proposal now expected in 2026. After failing at WHO talks, Brussels is clearly trying to regain control. #EUHealth #HarmReduction clearingtheair.eu/post/eu-to-f...
Calling nicotine vapes “opioid delivery devices” because criminals use vape hardware is like calling cars “drug trafficking tools.” It’s a category error, and it’s intentional. #EvidenceNotFear
clearingtheair.eu/post/panic-o...
clearingtheair.eu/post/panic-o...
Panic over vapes, opioids and Dutch teens – what the science actually says
Two recent stories - Dutch teens “flooding” hospitals after vaping and Belgian kids supposedly being “hooked” on hidden opioids in vapes - sound terrifying. They also risk seriously misleading the…
clearingtheair.eu
December 15, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Calling nicotine vapes “opioid delivery devices” because criminals use vape hardware is like calling cars “drug trafficking tools.” It’s a category error, and it’s intentional. #EvidenceNotFear
clearingtheair.eu/post/panic-o...
clearingtheair.eu/post/panic-o...
Adult smokers who vape use flavours and devices for a reason. Take them away, and cigarettes fill the gap. clearingtheair.eu/post/restric...
Restricting vape options makes dual users more likely to choose cigarettes, new U.S. study finds
In a lab study of 41 adults who both smoke and vape, limiting vape flavour and device options made cigarettes more likely to be chosen When only a tobacco-flavoured vape was available, people chose…
clearingtheair.eu
December 12, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Adult smokers who vape use flavours and devices for a reason. Take them away, and cigarettes fill the gap. clearingtheair.eu/post/restric...
Gateway studies can’t detect diversion, where vaping replaces smoking. This review says that flaw has skewed policy for a decade. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/study-c...
Study challenges ‘gateway’ claims finding vapes involved in only 5% of teen smoking starts
New review finds vaping involved in just 5.3% of teen cigarette experimentation in analysed cohorts Most ‘gateway’ studies excluded nearly two thirds of teen vapers and three quarters of new smokers…
clearingtheair.eu
December 12, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Gateway studies can’t detect diversion, where vaping replaces smoking. This review says that flaw has skewed policy for a decade. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/study-c...
Vape Island? Six years after Love Island banned on-screen smoking, we now know how they manage it: a communal “vape box” the Islanders can’t be seen touching. Shakira Khan accidentally broke it. #LoveIsland clearingtheair.eu/post/love-is...
Love Island’s Shakira reveals the villa’s secret ‘vape box’
Love Island star Shakira Khan has revealed a long-kept production detail from inside the villa: a designated “vape box” where Islanders’ devices are stored out of sight from cameras. The 22-year-old…
clearingtheair.eu
December 11, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Vape Island? Six years after Love Island banned on-screen smoking, we now know how they manage it: a communal “vape box” the Islanders can’t be seen touching. Shakira Khan accidentally broke it. #LoveIsland clearingtheair.eu/post/love-is...
It’s wild: a 2018 lung experiment goes viral in 2025 because years of misinformation kept people believing vaping was worse. Now the visuals are convincing smokers to quit instantly. #QuitSmoking #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/yout...
YouTuber’s viral video shows vaping less harmful than smoking
A viral video has shocked millions after YouTuber Chris Notap demonstrated, in stomach-turning detail, the difference between what cigarettes and vapes leave behind inside a pair of makeshift…
clearingtheair.eu
December 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
It’s wild: a 2018 lung experiment goes viral in 2025 because years of misinformation kept people believing vaping was worse. Now the visuals are convincing smokers to quit instantly. #QuitSmoking #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/yout...
The disposable ban was meant to fix youth use and environmental waste. Instead: illegal vapes still on sale, battery fires soaring, and consumers dumping refillables in general bins. Policy failure 101. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/illegal...
Illegal vapes still on sale as fires surge six months after UK ban
Six months after the disposable vape ban, illicit products are still widely available. Waste companies are also reporting daily fires caused by discarded vapes, casting serious doubt on whether the…
clearingtheair.eu
December 9, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The disposable ban was meant to fix youth use and environmental waste. Instead: illegal vapes still on sale, battery fires soaring, and consumers dumping refillables in general bins. Policy failure 101. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/illegal...
The Brown study is clear: vapes and nicotine pouches cut smoking among adults facing the highest barriers to quitting. If we’re serious about reducing health inequalities, harm reduction isn’t optional. #publichealth #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/vapes-a...
Vapes and nicotine pouches help low-income smokers cut back, Brown University study finds
Adults on low incomes found vapes and nicotine pouches highly convenient, allowing them to manage cravings in places where smoking is impossible. Both products significantly reduced cigarette use…
clearingtheair.eu
December 9, 2025 at 10:19 AM
The Brown study is clear: vapes and nicotine pouches cut smoking among adults facing the highest barriers to quitting. If we’re serious about reducing health inequalities, harm reduction isn’t optional. #publichealth #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/vapes-a...
New systematic review: heated tobacco users show consistently lower toxicant and inflammatory biomarkers than smokers. Not a single study found worse outcomes vs cigarettes #harmreduction #HTP clearingtheair.eu/post/heated-...
Heated tobacco linked to lower toxicant exposure, new review finds
Systematic review finds consistently lower toxicant and inflammatory biomarker levels in heated tobacco users than in smokers Studies report comparable or modestly improved respiratory function among…
clearingtheair.eu
December 5, 2025 at 1:22 PM
New systematic review: heated tobacco users show consistently lower toxicant and inflammatory biomarkers than smokers. Not a single study found worse outcomes vs cigarettes #harmreduction #HTP clearingtheair.eu/post/heated-...
Poland’s draft bill treats cigarettes and safer nicotine products as if they carry the same risks. They don’t. Sweden and New Zealand show what happens when you regulate smartly, not punitively: smoking collapses. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/pola...
Poland plans blanket ban on single-use vapes to ‘protect youth’
Poland’s Ministry of Health has proposed legislation that would outlaw all disposable vapes - including nicotine-free products - under a broad amendment to the country’s tobacco laws. The draft bill,…
clearingtheair.eu
December 5, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Poland’s draft bill treats cigarettes and safer nicotine products as if they carry the same risks. They don’t. Sweden and New Zealand show what happens when you regulate smartly, not punitively: smoking collapses. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/pola...
New survey: 68% of Brits can’t spot an illegal vape. After July’s disposable ban, the illicit market is booming and most consumers are flying blind. Who could’ve predicted that? #harmreduction #vaping clearingtheair.eu/post/most-br...
Most Brits can’t identify an illegal vape, new survey finds
A new nationwide survey suggests the majority of UK adults are unable to distinguish legal vaping products from illegal ones. The findings raise concerns about consumer safety and an escalating black…
clearingtheair.eu
December 4, 2025 at 8:26 PM
New survey: 68% of Brits can’t spot an illegal vape. After July’s disposable ban, the illicit market is booming and most consumers are flying blind. Who could’ve predicted that? #harmreduction #vaping clearingtheair.eu/post/most-br...
Notorious nanny state Russia is bravely cracking down on harm reduction while tax-generating cigarettes stroll on untouched. Authoritarianism disguised as “public health” yet again. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/russia-...
Russia steps up anti-vape crackdown with new regional retail ban
Russia has taken another significant step toward eliminating legal vape sales as one of its regions approved a full retail ban effective from March 1, 2026. The law, introduced by Governor Dmitry…
clearingtheair.eu
December 3, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Notorious nanny state Russia is bravely cracking down on harm reduction while tax-generating cigarettes stroll on untouched. Authoritarianism disguised as “public health” yet again. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/russia-...
As youth vaping falls and youth smoking collapses, NZ’s dual-track approach shows you can protect teens and support adult quitting at the same time. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/youth-v...
Youth vaping halves in New Zealand
Youth vaping in New Zealand has fallen sharply, with new national data showing regular use has halved in just two years. The findings come from the latest ASH Year 10 Snapshot Survey, which polls…
clearingtheair.eu
December 2, 2025 at 10:41 AM
As youth vaping falls and youth smoking collapses, NZ’s dual-track approach shows you can protect teens and support adult quitting at the same time. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/youth-v...
EXCLUSIVE: Leaked documents seen by CTA show tomorrow’s closed door EU Health Ministers’ lunch will focus on new curbs on safer nicotine products. Similar moves were blocked in Geneva by Sweden, Greece and Czechia. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/docu...
DOCUMENT: EU Health Ministers to discuss new curbs on safer nicotine products
EU Health Ministers will tomorrow discuss new restrictions on “novel tobacco and nicotine products” at a closed door lunch, according to a briefing document seen by Clearing the Air and published…
clearingtheair.eu
December 1, 2025 at 3:59 PM
EXCLUSIVE: Leaked documents seen by CTA show tomorrow’s closed door EU Health Ministers’ lunch will focus on new curbs on safer nicotine products. Similar moves were blocked in Geneva by Sweden, Greece and Czechia. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/docu...
.@HayppGroup reports fruit at 30.4 percent of sales post ban, with fruit mint fusion and mint close behind. Flavours are still central to successful quitting. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/fruit-a...
Fruit and mint flavours dominate vape sales after disposable ban, new data shows
Fruit and mint flavours remain the most popular vape categories sold since July’s disposable vape ban, according to new figures. The data from online retailer Haypp reinforces industry warnings that…
clearingtheair.eu
December 1, 2025 at 2:41 PM
.@HayppGroup reports fruit at 30.4 percent of sales post ban, with fruit mint fusion and mint close behind. Flavours are still central to successful quitting. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/fruit-a...
The new CoEHAR study found zero ROS from flavoured e-liquid aerosols. Cigarette smoke, by contrast, generated huge oxidative stress even at low exposure levels. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/vape-ae...
Vape aerosols show dramatically lower toxicity than cigarette smoke, new CoEHAR study finds
Four popular nicotine e-liquids produced dramatically less toxicity in human lung cells than cigarette smoke. No reactive oxygen species (ROS) - a major marker of oxidative stress - were detected…
clearingtheair.eu
November 28, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The new CoEHAR study found zero ROS from flavoured e-liquid aerosols. Cigarette smoke, by contrast, generated huge oxidative stress even at low exposure levels. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/vape-ae...
UK budget - the average vaper will pay over £400 more each year once the new tax hits. For many, vaping was a cheaper, safer alternative. That gap is closing fast. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/uk-b...
UK Budget 2025: Vaping costs set to rise sharply
Vaping expenses will rise significantly next year following the tax increase confirmed in today’s Autumn Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her statement to reaffirm that a new excise duty on…
clearingtheair.eu
November 28, 2025 at 10:32 AM
UK budget - the average vaper will pay over £400 more each year once the new tax hits. For many, vaping was a cheaper, safer alternative. That gap is closing fast. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/uk-b...
Sweden’s youth data is being misused. SFP overstated under 18 use while ignoring the same report’s conclusion that snus carries far lower risk than smoking. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/sfp-you...
SFP youth-use claim about Sweden doesn’t match the data
At a European Parliament hearing last week, the Smoke-Free Partnership (SFP) told MEPs that 29 per cent of Swedish 17-year-old students currently use oral nicotine products. The figure was used to…
clearingtheair.eu
November 27, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Sweden’s youth data is being misused. SFP overstated under 18 use while ignoring the same report’s conclusion that snus carries far lower risk than smoking. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/sfp-you...
Part 2 of our interview with Dr Derek Yach: he says WHO’s stance on nicotine is “flat earth thinking” and that harm reduction is being blocked by ideology, not science. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/the-...
The Flat Earth Argument: Derek Yach on WHO, Bloomberg, and the Smoke-Free World
In part 2 of this conversation, Peter Beckett speaks with Dr Derek Yach, former Head of Tobacco Control at the World Health Organization and founding president of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free…
clearingtheair.eu
November 27, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Part 2 of our interview with Dr Derek Yach: he says WHO’s stance on nicotine is “flat earth thinking” and that harm reduction is being blocked by ideology, not science. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/en/post/the-...
MEP perceptions are drifting from the science - @ecigintel finds awareness is up, but so is the belief that vapes and pouches are as harmful as cigarettes. clearingtheair.eu/post/a-third... #harmreduction
A third of MEPs say novel nicotine products are as harmful as smoking
A rising share of MEPs believe novel nicotine products are as harmful as or more harmful than smoking - despite clear scientific evidence that non-combustible alternatives carry far lower risks. The…
clearingtheair.eu
November 26, 2025 at 7:25 PM
MEP perceptions are drifting from the science - @ecigintel finds awareness is up, but so is the belief that vapes and pouches are as harmful as cigarettes. clearingtheair.eu/post/a-third... #harmreduction
New today! Six ways public health messaging on nicotine is missing the mark. Mixed signals, blurred distinctions and risk inflation are confusing the very people who need clarity. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/6-ways-...
6 ways public health messaging is missing the mark
Public health communication around nicotine is full of mixed messages. From blurring key scientific distinctions to issuing guidance that treats very different products as interchangeable, several…
clearingtheair.eu
November 25, 2025 at 1:30 PM
New today! Six ways public health messaging on nicotine is missing the mark. Mixed signals, blurred distinctions and risk inflation are confusing the very people who need clarity. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/6-ways-...
“Equal taxation for unequal risks” is the core warning to EU lawmakers. Treating vapes like cigarettes blurs the difference between high and low-risk products. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/economi...
Economists tell EU: equal taxes on vapes and cigarettes erase incentives to switch
Experts warn new tax plan could push smokers toward illicit tobacco instead of safer alternatives Economists warned EU lawmakers today that taxing vaping products and other smoke-free alternatives at…
clearingtheair.eu
November 24, 2025 at 9:46 AM
“Equal taxation for unequal risks” is the core warning to EU lawmakers. Treating vapes like cigarettes blurs the difference between high and low-risk products. #harmreduction clearingtheair.eu/post/economi...