FEATURE
FEATURE
Two scientific officers explain what is needed from the vape industry to make it safer .
Albert Einstein once said that on matters of science , “ Everything must be made as simple as possible . But not simpler .”
The greatest burden of the scientific ambassador is the communication of complex ideas in simpler terms for non-scientists – the majority of whom hold considerable sway in society . The vape business is no different .
Liam Humberstone and Professor Polosa returned to the stage for this eagerly anticipated portion of the conference , this time accompanied by Lucy Robins , Chief Scientific Officer at Liberty Flights , and Helen Taylor , Chief Technical Officer for Cuts Ice .
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EVERYTHING WE HAVE CONDUCTED IN TESTING , WE HAVE TRIED , WHERE POSSIBLE , TO INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED STANDARDS THROUGH ISO . WE STARTED WITH STANDARDS THAT WERE AVAILABLE FROM THE TRADITIONAL TOBACCO ARENA FOR PRODUCT COMPARISON AND FROM THAT WE ’ VE HAD TO LOOK AT THE WAY THE PRODUCTS AS NON-TOBACCO ENTITIES AND ADAPT THE REGIME TESTING INTO A UNIQUELY VAPING-CENTRED ONE .
In addition to their talks , the latest speakers kindly gave Vapouround exclusive interviews . Lucy Robins , praised the opening of panprofessional borders made possible by the IBVTA , especially commending Kate Pike of Trading Standards and the representatives of Anthony Jones Insurance for providing seldom-seen angles of how regulation and risk-assessment correlate .
She also urged for a continued open communication between all major and minor vape companies : “ Data is complex and methods are continually evolving , companies must keep up and stay informed . Scientific data must be viewed from a neutral , non-partisan perspective .
We must also keep our range of studies diverse to accurately assess our range of products , remaining informed of how we ( Liberty Flights ) would differ from Cuts Ice or Totally Wicked . There ’ s an oft-repeated argument that we don ’ t have enough data yet from longer-term studies , so scrutiny on us is greatly increased and the quality of our work must remain consistent .”
Vape businesses ( and the scientists who work for them ) are sometimes accused of skewing research for positive results . Lucy wants our readers to know that “ vape businesses are open to honest data , even the kind putting products in an unflattering light : consumer safety and enjoyment is prioritised and scientific officers are successfully holding businesses to account . I come from a pharmaceutical background and have enjoyed the support and endorsement of directors in vaping .”
When asked what she considered the most important issue faced by scientific research and its place in vaping , Lucy urged businesses to do their best to present the data proving vaping is an effective tool for smoking cessation , and that regulation and up-to-date scientific data must have an iron-clad relationship . Scientific researchers need intermediaries , funders and allies who are willing to listen and listen carefully . Both speakers did an exceptional job meeting this standard . Cuts Ice ’ s Helen Taylor also caught up with Vapouround to put things in layman ’ s terms .
“ Everything we have conducted in testing , we have tried , where possible , to internationally recognised standards through ISO . We started with standards that were available from the traditional tobacco arena for product comparison and from that we ’ ve had to look at the way the products as non-tobacco entities and adapt the regime testing into a uniquely vaping- centred one . There still isn ’ t a single , centralised ‘ body ’ conducting studies on vaping , so we ’ ve tried as much as possible to get the diverse plethora of products tested to the best of our ability in order to generate genuine , credible scientific results .” The TPD ’ s specific requirements galvanised an increase in scientific research and set the tone for how it is being conducted .
“ The body of data we ’ ve just gathered is an amalgamation of three companies within the Scientific Regulatory Committee collected over the last 18 months in order to put packages together for TPD submissions . But we are continuing to look not only at new liquids to put on the market but new methodologies for testing .
We are currently working with others in the independent industry to try to get a sensible , unified standard in place that fits the human topography data for vaping .”
VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE ISSUE 11 93