CAPHRA Criticizes Media for Misrepresenting Vaping Risks and Urges Accurate Scientific Reporting

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:24:00 +0200

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has criticized recent media coverage of an Australian study that linked vaping to cancer, arguing that the reports exaggerated the study’s conclusions while downplaying major scientific objections. According to CAPHRA Executive Coordinator Nancy Loucas, health journalism should clearly communicate relative risks and avoid sensationalizing controversial findings without providing the full scientific context. Loucas emphasized that the central issue is not whether vaping is completely safe—it is not—but whether media reporting properly distinguishes between vaping and smoking, which carry vastly different health risks.

Experts such as Professor Peter Hajek and economist Eric Crampton pointed out that detecting trace levels of carcinogenic compounds in e-cigarette vapor does not equate to real-world cancer risk, especially when tobacco smoke exposes users to much higher concentrations of known toxic substances. Profe