The emergence of e-cigarettes in the UK has caused no small amount of controversy. While it has been hailed as an effective tool for quitting by smokers, there have been repeated warnings over a swathe of young people taking up vaping.
But how vapes compare to smoking in terms of nicotine is still a mystery to some.
Generally, a smoker absorbs between 1 milligram and 2mg of nicotine from a single cigarette. Although there is between 8mg and 20mg of nicotine, only a fraction is actually inhaled – generally thought to be about a 10th. Various factors alter this – the strength of the filter, each individual person and how much is lost in the smoke – but this amount is a general rule of thumb.
An e-cigarette, much like the regular variety, has differing levels of nicotine depending on the brand.
The Tobacco Products Directive, which came into force in the UK in May 2017, restricts vapes to 2 millilitres of e-liquid with a strength of 20mg per millilitre or under in any single product.
Some of the most popular vapes on the market are advertised as coming in nicotine strengths of 0mg, 10mg and 20mg/ml, so a 2ml vape typically contains 0, 20mg or 40mg of nicotine, and allows for between 600 and 800 puffs.
A 20mg/ml vape, with 40mg of nicotine, is therefore the equivalent of smoking one or two packs of 20 cigarettes.
But when a vape is illegal, it may contain a lot more e-liquid, and the strength per millilitre could be far higher than allowed. This means it offers thousands of puffs and is the equivalent of hundreds of cigarettes.
It’s generally recommended that someone who smokes Marlboro Red or other regular straight cigarettes, which give 1.2mg of nicotine or 24mg per 20 pack, would select a vape that offers 20mg of nicotine. Ultra-light cigarettes such as Silk Cut contain approximately 0.4mg of nicotine in each cigarette, or 8mg of nicotine per pack, a quarter of that of a vape.
