Public Health England, a government agency, has published a review on Wednesday in which it has termed electronic cigarettes to be less harmful than traditional cigarettes. With this, the agency has become one of the first government organizations to support e-cigarettes.

Electronic cigarette works by heating liquid nicotine and turning it into a vapor. The review has drawn its conclusions on the basis of national data and research papers. The review could prove quite beneficial for the supporters of e-cigarette advocates, who already term it as a tool for adults to quit smoking.

Electronic cigarettes have received huge criticism in America. But the UK paper has confirmed what many tobacco researchers have that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, which release over 60 carcinogens through combustion.

Kevin Fenton, director of health and well-being at Public Health England, affirmed that electronic cigarettes are not 100%, but they are less harmful when compared with traditional smoking. All of the estimated 2.6 million adults using e-cigarettes in Great Britain are either current or former smokers, found the paper.

Public Health England said, “There is no evidence so far that e-cigarettes are acting as a route into smoking for children or nonsmokers”. Prof. Ann McNeill at King’s College London said that there is no proof till now that e-cigarettes are undermining England’s falling smoking rates. The report has also included that public distrust with regard to e-cigarettes is on rise.