iBreathe, one of the country’s prominent e-cig sellers, has commented on news that the number of smokers has fallen to record low

There are now less adult smokers in the United Kingdom than since official records began, government figures have found, showing a drop from 19.8 percent to 18.7 percent from 2012 to 2013.

The now official 18.7 percent, which represents the lowest number since records began in the 1940s, was roundly celebrated by government ministers.

The data comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and also sheds light on smoking habits between the sexes, showing that while 21.1 percent of men currently smoke, only 16.5 of females surveyed admitted to it.

It was also found that almost half of the adult population claim to have never smoked while a third reported to have once smoked but to have kicked the habit.

The findings were also received warmly by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), who were quick to highlight that the numbers suggest fears over electronic cigarettes encouraging tobacco use are unfounded.

Chief executive of Ash, Deborah Arnott, said: “This statistically significant decline in adult smokers shows that the government’s tobacco control plan is working. However, over 80,000 people still die from smoking every year in England and every week hundreds of children take up smoking.

“The drop in smoking also shows that concerns that the use of electronic cigarettes would lead to a renormalisation of tobacco use appear unfounded. The rapid increase in use of these productions has coincided with a consistent steady decline in smoking.”

It’s estimated by Ash that e-cigarettes are now used by around 2.1 million people in the country, a number that has increased massively in the last several years and is expected to continue rising dramatically.

Chief scientific officer at Ecita, an e-cig trade body, also referenced the findings on Twitter: “New data, and still none to support #ecigs renormalising smoking.”

iBreath, an Oldham-based company selling electronic cigs throughout the UK, often weigh in on industry news, research and debate. iBreath also believes that the findings suggest fears of e-cigs renormalising tobacco products are exaggerated.

A spokesman for the company said: “There have been a number of studies concluded in the last few months, all of which have shown that the fear of e-cigarettes renormalising traditional cigarettes and encouraging either adults or children to smoke seem to be unfounded, and the data from this ONS survey is a great example of that.

“We know many of our customers well and we can’t think of a single example where someone who hasn’t smoked has come in to buy one of our kits. Likewise, we’d struggle to think of many existing smokers who haven’t at least cut down on the amount they smoke after buying an electronic cigarette kit.”

iBreathe sells e-cigs, e-liquids, accessories and more. Visit their website today at www.i-breathe.co.uk for more information.