IQOS: the harmfulness of heated tobacco underestimated by Philip Morris
June 15, 2020
Par: communication@cnct.fr
Dernière mise à jour: June 15, 2020
Temps de lecture: 2 minutes
Research conducted by scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia) shows that IQOS heated tobacco products emit significantly more harmful products than the company officially states.
The IQOS device, developed by Philip Morris International and introduced on the market since 2014, replaces the classic combustion of tobacco (900 degrees) with an incomplete combustion (300 degrees) called pyrolysis. Its heated tobacco device is presented as a less harmful alternative: Philip Morris indicates that the IQOS allows a risk reduction of 90% to 95%, when no independent study has yet managed to corroborate this argument.
A PhD student at the Clean Combustion Research Center at Kaust wanted to evaluate Philip Morris International's claims by conducting an independent study. In this way, the research team developed an analytical method that allowed the detection of small molecules that could not be detected by the procedures used in the methodologies applied in previous research. Thus, where Philip Morris International claims to find only ten harmful compounds, the researchers identified 67.
This situation demonstrates that the tobacco industry cannot be considered a reliable player in the implementation of effective and long-term public policies. Ultimately, the promotion of a "smoke-free world", particularly articulated around IQOS, is a strategy aimed at emptying prevention policies of their substance and diverting anti-smoking policies.
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