News - Clearing the Air

News

The world’s toughest vaping crackdowns

From prison sentences to outright constitutional bans, governments around the world are taking an increasingly hard line on vaping. While some countries regulate vapes as lower-risk alternatives to smoking, others have opted for outright prohibition - with penalties ranging from steep fines…

News

Catholic Church adds vapes to Confirmation pledge

Irish Catholic children preparing for Confirmation will now be asked to promise not only to avoid alcohol and drugs, but also to steer clear of vapes and cigarettes. The updated pledge, announced by the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative (IBDI) to mark Temperance Sunday, reflects…

News

WHO chief urges Ireland to close EU nicotine ‘loopholes’ ahead of presidency

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged Ireland to use its influence at EU level to tighten regulation of nicotine products, warning of “strong industry opposition” from the tobacco lobby. In a letter dated August 22nd to Health Minister…

News

ANALYSIS: The EU will jumpstart its new rules on safer nicotine products next week. Here’s what to expect.

My sources in Brussels tell me that the European Commission’s report on how well its tobacco laws are doing should drop early spring. Maybe even as soon as March. This will be the starting gun in a race to overhaul the bloc’s…

News

Consumers urge Sweden to veto EU Tobacco Tax

Nine organisations representing users of safer nicotine products have called on the Swedish Government to veto Brussels plans to impose huge tax increases on vapes and nicotine pouches, calling the plans “fundamentally flawed” and “a direct threat to the Swedish Model”. The…

News Science

Flawed “switching” label may skew vape health findings, new analysis shows

Two recent studies grouped some ongoing cigarette smokers under the label “EC switchers,” potentially distorting comparisons. In both papers, people classified as using vapes had significantly lower risks of certain major health outcomes than those who continued smoking. When complete switchers were…

News

EXCLUSIVE: EU puts huge vape tax increase back on the table

The EU’s minimum tax on vapes will be increased by 50% according to a new draft of the Tobacco Taxation Directive dated 18th February and seen by Clearing the Air. In a previous proposal, the minimum rate for vapes was set at…

News Science

No significant link between exclusive vaping and heart disease, U.S. PATH study finds

Cigarette smokers had 11% higher odds of developing cardiovascular disease than non-smokers Two inflammation markers in the blood - hsCRP and sICAM-1 - help explain much of that increased risk No statistically significant link was found between exclusive vape use and cardiovascular…

News Science

Nicotine use has not fallen despite Australia’s vape crackdown, studies show

National wastewater testing shows total nicotine use in Australia has not fallen and has trended upward since 2016. Regional areas consistently record higher nicotine consumption than capital cities, with the Northern Territory highest overall. Wastewater analysis reports total nicotine only and “cannot…

Subscribe to Newsletter