One of the biggest tobacco corporations in the world, Philip Morris International, has applied to have its “heat not burn” products sold in Australia.
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The company’s most recent goal is to “change society and deliver a better, smoke-free future,” which includes an attempt to upend tobacco sector and legalize heated tobacco products.
The manufacturer claims that compared to regular cigarettes, these products provide a safer means of quenching a nicotine desire. The technique is referred to as IQOS, an acronym for “I quit original smoking.”
However, what are these “heat not burn” goods and are they genuinely healthier than regular cigarettes?
A cross between regular and electronic cigarettes
Electronic gadgets using tobacco leaves are known as Heat Not Burn goods. They release a nicotine-containing vapor that you inhale when you heat them.
Their technology, which warms the tobacco to far lower temperatures, sets them apart from traditional cigarettes. Unlike ordinary cigarettes, which may burn and combust at temperatures as high as 900°C, heat-not-burn devices heat the tobacco to about 350°C.
In spite of this, heat-not-burn goods nevertheless have a temperature that allows dangerous substances to evaporate and enter the lungs.
Heat not burn products are distinct from e-cigarettes or vaping devices, although sharing similarities as electrical gadgets. These often involve chemical liquids, albeit nicotine isn’t always included. Liquids are often heated to 250°C by e-cigarettes in order to generate vapor.
Laws
IQOS, a heat-resistant product from Philip Morris International, is presently offered in over 50 countries, including the UK and New Zealand.
Does not have any legislation that particularly address heat-not-burn devices, goods that include tobacco or nicotine are subject to regulation under a number of different statutes.
Nicotine is classified as a schedule 7 drug, or “dangerous poison,” under the Poisons Standard, with the exception of situations in which it is included in tobacco products that are packed and prepared for smoking or in goods meant for human medicinal use (like nicotine patches).
According to the federal health agency, devices like IQOS will not be covered by these exclusions, therefore heated tobacco products are still illegal under existing law.
In a submission to the federal health department last month, the Royal College of General Practitioners strongly advised against approving heat not burn goods until we had more “credible and long-term evidence” regarding their potential consequences on health.
What is supported by the evidence
The idea behind heat-not-burn products is to provide smokers the same hit of nicotine without exposing them to hazardous chemicals.
Because there is no burning or combustion, which would ordinarily release toxins, Heat Not Burn products do produce less toxins and at lower quantities than regular cigarettes.
According to several studies, heat-not-burn products have far lower concentrations of dangerous carcinogens such aldehydes and other volatile compounds than ordinary cigarettes. However, since tobacco businesses financed the majority of these research, we must take the findings cautiously.
Studies evaluating the short-term exposure to heat-not-burn goods have been conducted, but none have examined the products’ long-term health impacts.
According to these independent research, emissions from heat-not-burn goods can cause human lung cells to experience cytotoxicity, or cell death, which can result in inflammation.
This impact is similar to that of smoking a typical cigarette, according to data from an animal research.
In the long run, there could be advantages to heat-not-burn products over lifetime smoking since they emit less pollutants than regular cigarettes.
Researchers that using computer modeling to estimate a person’s lifetime cancer risk discovered that a smoker of heat-not-burn goods may have a tenfold lower cancer risk than a cigarette smoker. The risk of acquiring cancer is 100 times lower for e-cigarette users than for traditional cigarette smokers.
However, to verify this, well-conducted, long-term research are required.
Heat not burn goods are most likely preferable to cigarettes.
With the information we presently know, e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn products, and regular cigarettes would be ranked top to lowest in terms of cancer risk.
The modelling study made a noteworthy comparison between a current smoker and someone who uses heat-not-burn products. It’s quite likely that there would be a greater health risk while utilizing heat not burn products if we were to compare their consequences to quitting smoking altogether.
There could be some value for someone who is giving heat-not-burn goods a try instead of smoking cigarettes. It is better avoided otherwise.