Heated tobacco: a gateway to smoking?

Is heated tobacco a first step for young people towards riskier practices? Several recent studies, from Switzerland, Germany and Japan, have looked into the subject.

What is heated tobacco?

Heated tobacco is an electronic device that is a mix between a traditional cigarette and an e-cigarette. The main difference is that there is no combustion: the tobacco is heated electronically. A tobacco vapor is then released, reminiscent of that of a cigarette, but no combustion takes place. On the market, iQOS and Glo are brands of heated tobacco.

The tobacco industry used the argument of risk reduction – in the order of 90 to 95%! -[1] to promote them to consumers. The absence of combustion was notably used to argue that the number of toxic particles normally inhaled with cigarette smoke was limited and that the harmful effects of smoking were thus reduced.

In view of the increasing number of independent research contradicting this position, the arguments of the industry are losing credibility. For example, four researchers from the University of California assessed the veracity of the risk reduction theory in 2018. They showed that 22 harmful or potentially harmful substances were at more than 200% higher than in cigarette smoke and even worse, 7 at more than 1,000% [2].

An addiction that persists

Heated tobacco contains nicotine, a harmful and highly addictive substance. There is therefore a risk: - of causing real addiction in new smokers; - that these smokers will develop the many pathologies associated with smoking, and die; that exposure to passive smoking, which is harmful, will be extended.

Reassuring studies on the development of this new addictive practicee

A 2019 study by the anti-addiction association Addiction Suisse reveals that in this country, fewer than 2,% of 15-year-olds had tried heated tobacco at least once in their lives in 2019. Among them, almost all had started smoking with traditional and/or electronic cigarettes.

In Germany, the Federal Center for Health Education published a report on tobacco among youth and young adults in 2019. According to the report, 8.7% of Germans aged 12 to 17 are smokers. Of these, only 0.3% have ever tried heated tobacco.

Finally, in Japan, Professor Osaki, from the Department of Preventive Medicine at Tottori University, points out that the consumption of heated tobacco among young people and adolescents is lower than that of traditional and electronic cigarettes. According to his study, only 1.1 % of middle school students and 2.2 % of high school students in his country have ever tried heated tobacco.

It therefore does not appear at present that heated tobacco has taken a significant place on the markets, which is good news. This practice nevertheless remains to be monitored and studied to counteract the disinformation of the tobacco industry.

©Tobacco Free Generation

[1] https://www.ersnet.org/the-society/news/ers-position-paper-on-heated-tobacco-products

[2] St Helen G, Jacob Iii P, Nardone N, Benowitz NL. IQOS: examination of Philip Morris International's claim of reduced exposure. Tob Control. 2018;27(Suppl 1):s30-s36. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054321 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30158205/#affiliation-1

Source Tiana, “Smoking: heated tobacco not very conducive to initiation among young people”, www.vivredemain.fr, June 5, 2020 https://vivredemain.fr/2020/06/05/tabagisme-le-tabac-a-chauffer-peu-propice-a-linitiation-des-jeunes.

[i] “IQOS: Philip Morris’ global offensive” https://www.generationsanstabac.org/actualites/iqos-loffensive-mondiale-de-philip-morris/

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