Harm reduction has always been a common goal that the tobacco industry works with, because the impact from traditional cigarettes is well known.
According to studies, a cigarette emits about 400mg smoke and aerosol under normal use, out of which 75.9% is air, 19.6% is aerosol and 4.5 is comprised of particles. Traditional cigarettes can reach a temperature of 600 degrees Celsius or above due to combustion. As a result, thousands of harmful chemicals are emitted in addition to nicotine. Out of more than 4850 kinds of substances in the smoke, 99.4% of those chemicals are harmless to human body but 0.6% of them have been proven to be harmful to humans according to various studies. Out of the 0.6% of chemicals 0.2% have the potentials to cause cancer.
Among the harmful chemicals, tar, nicotine, phenols, alcohol, aldehyde,carbon monoxide, TSNA, benzpyrene and some others have strong impact on human health.
Top tobacco companies started harm reduction of tobacco products from decades ago. The Heat Not Burn tobacco products have been a breakthrough achieved in recent years. Heat Not Burn devices provide an external heat source inserted into the heat not burn sticks and deliver nicotine from the heat not burn sticks to the air. Big brand are examples of this kind. Some other devices such as Ploom and Pax create insulated heat chamber and vaporize nicotine from heat not burn sticks.
According to WHO (World Health Organization)’s definition, Heat Not Burn tobacco products usually heat up the sticks to about 350 degrees Celsious using battery driven heating systems. This working temperature creates muss less harmful emissions compared to traditional cigarettes with the combustion process.
The prominent harm reduction tobacco expert and Cardologist, Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, did a study on the oxhydryl emission from Heat Not Burn tobacco products and traditional cigarettes. His study showed that oxhydryl chemicals were reduced by 80-90% with Heat Not Burn products compared to traditional cigarettes.
Innovations such as HEAT NOT BURN are proven its effectiveness over time since it was debuted in different markets. Many countries have confirmed the harm reduction of Heat Not Burn products. USA issued official MRTP (Modified Risk Tobacco Product) qualification to big company in 2020, implying a potential reduced tax rate compared to traditional cigarettes as well. UK also issued a memorandum on the novel tobacco cigarettes, confirming the potential harm reduction of these products. China is the largest tobacco market in the world, According to the Chinese government, China’s cigarettes consumers also create a huge potential for the Heat Not Burn products in the long run.