Facts deserve the full story.

The HSE says around 100 people die in Ireland every week from smoking-related illness. These are people, not just a statistic: parents, friends, neighbours and colleagues.

Keep in mind: This is the HSE's approximate weekly figure, not an exact annual tally. It should not be used to imply a directly comparable, established vaping death count.

The NHS says nicotine vaping is less harmful than smoking. Switching completely reduces exposure to many toxins from burning tobacco. Continuing to smoke alongside vaping still exposes you to smoking-related harm.

Keep in mind: Vaping has risks, and the long-term effects are not fully known. Children and non-smokers should not vape. The healthiest option is neither smoking nor vaping.

The 2022 review commissioned by England's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities described vaping as posing “a small fraction of the risks of smoking” in the short and medium term. It discussed the earlier “at least 95% less harmful” estimate as broadly accurate.

Keep in mind: This is an overall relative-harm estimate, not a measured 95% reduction in every disease, not “95% safe”, and not a guarantee about lifetime risk. We use the review's more cautious wording rather than treating the percentage as a promise.

Cochrane's living systematic review finds high-certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes help more people stop smoking for at least six months than nicotine replacement therapy such as patches or gum.

Keep in mind: This comparison does not establish that vaping is better than every available treatment. Evidence for quitting effectiveness is not the same as evidence of long-term safety. HSE advisers can help you explore licensed stop-smoking treatments.

The CDC's investigation of the 2019 US EVALI outbreak linked most cases to THC-containing vaping products, especially from informal sources. Vitamin E acetate was strongly linked to the outbreak. The CDC recorded 68 confirmed deaths as of 18 February 2020.

Keep in mind: THC products are different from nicotine e-cigarettes. But the CDC did not rule out other chemicals, including in non-THC products, in some cases. This evidence cannot support a blanket claim that vaping has caused zero deaths.

Nicotine is highly addictive, but it is not the main cause of smoking-related cancer. Burning tobacco creates many of the dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke. That distinction matters, but it does not make nicotine risk-free.

Keep in mind: An equivalent safety profile to caffeine is not established by these sources. Nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain and carries risks during pregnancy. Liquids must be kept away from children and pets.

An RCSI study reported approximately €20.2 billion in modelled long-term healthcare costs for the current smoking population. Smoking-related illness places pressure on people, families and health services.

Keep in mind: The figure is not an annual taxpayer bill. Modelled long-term costs depend on assumptions and should not be presented as this year's public spending, or as a forecast of savings from vaping.