The VERITAS cohort study will be an international study of six or more years.  It will observe the health outcomes of subjects who vape exclusively, compared to a control group of subjects who have never vaped or used tobacco products. It will measure the health outcomes of both groups, through self-reported health status, clinical assessment and laboratory testing of lung health.   

 

UPDATED August 13, 2020: You can now log in and enter your contact information

for consideration as a volunteer study subject at:

https://veritascohort.coehar.org/study-subject/

                                 

Purpose of Study

The goal is to determine whether there are any long-term risks associated with vaping, and if so, what they are.  To date, almost all assessments of the health of vapers have been among ex-smokers, where it is impossible to distinguish any small effects of vaping from the residual effects of long-term smoking.  This study will test the hypothesis that vaping alone has no measurable health effects.

 

Importance of Study

Medical research shows that vaping e-cigarettes is much less harmful than smoking combustible tobacco.  However, there may be health risks that have not yet been determined, as no study like this one has ever been done. 

There are widespread, but unsubstantiated, claims that vaping causes substantial risks, which may deter some cigarette smokers from using e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking.  Anyone who vapes, or is considering becoming a vaper, deserves to know if there are any risks, so they can make informed decisions regarding their health.

 

Participants we are Seeking

We require participants who currently vape, but have never smoked tobacco, or have smoked less than 1,000 cigarettes ever. 

 

Commitment Required of Participants

Participating in this study will involve approximately annual medical examinations over the course of six years, which will include lung function tests and CT scans.  Each study site will have a single clinic, which participants will need to visit for these examinations.  Responding to surveys approximately every three months is also required.

We are counting on vapers to volunteer to help with this important research, so there is no payment for participation.  However, the examinations will be free and any modest travel and other expenses will be reimbursed as a token of our appreciation for your participation.

 

Global Scope of Study

Locations arranged so far are: Canada (Greater Toronto Area), Costa Rica (whole country), England (several sites), Estonia (whole country), Germany (Bavaria/Munich), Greece (Athens), Hungary (Budapest), Ireland (Dublin), Italy (several sites), Mexico (Mexico City), New Zealand (Auckland), Poland (several sites), Portugal (Lisbon), Scotland (Glasgow), and the USA (several sites).

 

Project Leaders

This study will be led by Dr. Riccardo Polosa and Dr. Carl V. Phillips. 

Dr. Riccardo Polosa is a Professor of Internal Medicine and specialist in Respiratory Diseases at the University of Catania.  He is also the Founder and Clinical Director of the Center for Tobacco Research and Scientific Director of the Center of Excellence for the acceleration of HArm Reduction (CoEHAR).  Dr. Polosa has published papers that show that smokers with asthma or COPD get better when they switch to vaping.  https://www.vapingpost.com/2017/06/26/prof-polosa-receives-award-for-anti-smoking-efforts/

Dr. Carl V. Phillips is an epidemiologist and economist whose groundbreaking contributions include being one of the earliest pioneers of tobacco harm reduction research and advocacy, when he was a professor of medicine and public health in Canada and the USA.  He has been studying e-cigarettes since they first existed, and was the senior scientist for the first-ever study of vapers. He talks about this study on RegulatorWatch at https://regulatorwatch.com/brent_stafford/recruits-wanted-global-study-seeks-to-confirm-vaping-is-safe-regwatch-live/

Dr. John Oyston will be organizing the volunteers for the Greater Toronto Area, which will be the only site in Canada.  He is a retired anesthesiologist who has worked on many issues related to tobacco control, including speaking at the Global Forum on Nicotine in 2020  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fFr6XelEXU) .

 

Sign Me Up!

Vaping has the potential to help millions of tobacco smokers to quit smoking, and possibly save their lives.  Yet it has always been dogged by detractors who claim “Vaping might be safer than smoking but we do not know the long-term risks.”  If you fit our criteria and want to help in this ground-breaking study, we would like to hear from you. 

We are collecting contact information for potential participants now: https://veritascohort.coehar.org/study-subject/

More information and contact details are available at the VERITAS website:  https://veritascohort.coehar.org/

If you have any questions about the Canadian part of the study, please contact John Oyston at john.oyston@veritascohort.org .