The Cleveland Clinic, one of the world’s foremost academic medical centers, has jumped on the anti-vaping bandwagon, perpetuating unfiltered nonsense about the health effects of nicotine.
For many years, the science communication landscape looked something like this: reputable universities and public health institutions did sound research and educated consumers about the risks they faced; devious activist groups fabricated health scares that gullible and dishonest reporters uncritically amplified; ACSH and other science-minded organizations refuted the nonsense emanating from the headlines.
Things are different today. Often times its reputable healthcare providers and other trusted institutions that mislead consumers. There is no better example than this recent piece published by the Cleveland Clinic: How Vaping or Smoking Impacts Your Physical Activity:
Contrary to some popular beliefs, vaping isn’t a safe alternative to smoking. In fact, researchers say the rise of vaping “threatens five decades of progress in the fight against tobacco use.”
The article is a simmering mixture of equivocation, cherry-picked statistics, and outright lies. There’s an eight-letter word for it we won’t use to preserve our family-friendly reputation. Let’s look at some specifics and hopefully help Cleveland Clinic right its ship.
Cameron English – American Council on Science and Health – 2022-11-03.
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