All of the estimated 2.6 million adults using e-cigarettes in Great Britain are either current or former smokers, found the paper.

Researchers said e-cigarettes are equally or more harmful than smoking and it serve as a “gateway” to tobacco for young people.

Finally, University of Michigan School of Public Health dean Ken Warner makes it pretty simple: “Smokeless tobacco is, without a question of a doubt, far less harmful than cigarette smoking”.

“So that’s been the big concern about e-cigarettes, is that they’re another form of nicotine addiction, and that they may be associated with either initiation or continued use of cigarettes”, Novotny said.

Even if it is too early to be certain, a growing body of evidence suggests that electronic cigarettes are far less harmful to health than smoking tobacco.

PHE hasn’t said definitely that vaping is a healthy habit – it’s likely not risk free – but it believes public perception could be discouraging smokers from trying e-cigarettes and, eventually, dropping the habit entirely.

Speaking about the results, Professor Kevin Fenton, director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England, said, “Smoking remains England’s number one killer and the best thing a smoker can do is to quit completely, now and forever”.

Debates over e-cigarettes’ appeal to youths has caused some controversy.

“We echo the views of PHE and support the original intention of The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to regulate e-cigarettes as medicinal products as an aid to smoking cessation”, said the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

The publicly-funded study goes against a 2014 report by the World Health Organization that called for stiff regulation of e-cigarettes and bans on their indoor use and sale to minors.

“The overall evidence points to e-cigarettes actually helping people to give up smoking tobacco”. It was found that electronic cigarettes are about 95% more safe.

It’s official, e-cigarettes are apparently not that bad for you. Chief executive, Deborah Arnott, comments: “This timely statement from Public Health England should reassure health professionals, the media, and the public, particularly smokers, that the evidence is clear: electronic cigarettes are very much less harmful than smoking”.