European Commission proposes ban on flavourings for heated tobacco

The European Commission has declared the June 29 that it wanted to ban the sale of all flavoured heated tobacco products as part of its goal of a tobacco-free generation in the European Union (EU) by 2040. The soaring sales rates, and the fact that these products now account for more than 2.5 per cent of total tobacco sales, meet the conditions for the EU to act.

From 2018 to 2020, sales of heated tobacco exploded in Europe, rising from 924 million to 19.7 billion, an increase of more than 2,000 %, with significant increases in France (+ 406%), Portugal (180%) and the Netherlands (153%) according to a report Commission report published in June. Philip Morris International (with its IQOS device) and British American Tobacco (with the Glo device) are the two main manufacturers present on the European market.

The proposal, which only concerns flavoured heated tobacco products, will now be examined by the 27 EU governments and the European Parliament and will enter into force if there are no objections.

Heated tobacco, a product that carries risks

Heated tobacco is presented as mini-cigarettes containing a filter and tobacco that must be inserted into a device heating the tobacco to about 350°, releasing an aerosol to be inhaled. The combustion observed with conventional cigarettes is replaced here by incomplete combustion (pyrolysis).

Heated tobacco products are promoted by tobacco manufacturers as less risky alternatives to combustible cigarettes. Philip Morris, for example, claims that replacing complete combustion with pyrolysis produces " on average 90 to 95% less » of toxic substances, making IQOS safer for smokers and those around them. The manufacturer also makes this its main marketing argument. However, a recent study has demonstrated the presence of toxic components at higher levels in heated tobacco than in conventional cigarette smoke. This is particularly the case for glycidol, which an independent report shows is 400% more present in IQOS than in conventional cigarettes, while the International Agency for Research on Cancer has identified it as a probable carcinogen. These products therefore present modified risks compared to conventional cigarettes but not necessarily reduced ones.

A marketing tool for the tobacco industry

In France, Philip Morris is the only manufacturer that currently markets heated tobacco through its IQOS device, which it aggressively promotes at points of sale. It promotes its device as a risk reduction tool to policy makers. Through this discourse, it seeks to relax the regulations in force on new tobacco products and to influence a market that has become declining for traditional tobacco products due to public policies to reduce consumption.

Philip Morris recently launched a new electronic cigarette on the French market, which it markets under the name “combustion-free alternatives,” alongside its heated tobacco device. This misleading terminology is intended to confuse vaping products with heated tobacco and to position the company as a player committed to public health and the fight against smoking.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE