*Hypothetical figures are used only to illustrate how risk is expressed: an event changing from ten per thousand to five per thousand still does not equal zero risk.*

Any “risk reduction” must first state what it is being compared against. The change in risk after a person who continues to smoke cigarettes completely stops burning tobacco is a different question from a never-smoker starting to use e-cigarettes. The former involves replacing an existing exposure, while the latter involves adding a new exposure.

It is also necessary to state which measure is being reduced. A reduction in certain emissions does not mean that the risk of all diseases falls by the same proportion; short-term changes in biomarkers do not mean that outcomes decades later are already settled. Therefore, a particular percentage should not be presented as a single answer that applies to all products, all people, and all diseases.

The distinction can be illustrated with hypothetical figures: if an event falls from 10 cases per 1,000 people to 5 cases, that is a relative reduction of 50% and an absolute reduction of 5 cases per 1,000 people. This example is only for statistical explanation and is not data on e-cigarette risk. Even if a real reduction percentage is obtained, the population, time period, and type of event must still be stated. Applying a proportion for one outcome directly to another disease, or to never-smokers, has no sufficient basis.

The CDC notes that e-cigarettes may have potential benefits for some adult smokers who are not pregnant, provided they completely replace all combustible tobacco products, while the products themselves are still not risk-free. [CDC health information](https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/health-effects.html) When communicating, the comparison and its precondition should be written in the same sentence so that readers know who the conclusion applies to, avoiding the misunderstanding of “may reduce existing harm” as “anyone is suited to start.”

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