Are Online Claims About IQOS Health Risks Exaggerated?
Many users choose IQOS hoping for a less harmful alternative. This article explores whether online claims about IQOS health risks may be overstated.
Most people who use IQOS expect it to offer several advantages: minimal harm to the body, a taste closer to traditional cigarettes, and less lingering odor on the body after use. Other so-called costs are relatively minor by comparison. Below, let’s look at the differences between the aerosol components of IQOS and the combustion products of conventional cigarettes.
• In summary, there are two main parts.
1. Science has shown that IQOS does not involve a combustion process (that is, there is no so-called pyrolysis).
2. Because IQOS does not burn, it does not cause the tobacco to self-burn (similar to smoldering).
3. Compared with harmful substances produced by combustion (HPHCs), IQOS using THS 2.2 technology can reduce harmful constituents by 90%–95%.
• What is THS 2.2? THS is the core technology IQOS uses for this product, commonly referred to as heat-not-burn. Its main technical feature is keeping the temperature of the tobacco material stable below the ignition point for combustion. (Temperature control!)
• Why keep it below the combustion temperature? All combustion reactions are intense oxidation-reduction reactions accompanied by the release of heat and light, while also producing smoke and ash. In general, once triggered, the reaction is difficult to control. The ash and smoke combine with water vapor to form aerosols containing harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs). Much of the harm from smoking comes from these aerosols entering the respiratory tract, lungs, and blood vessels, where they adhere to inner walls or circulate through the body. So if there is no combustion, can this portion of the harm (from smoke and ash) be avoided? In fact, it can. The chart below shows the relationship between cigarette combustion temperature changes and the formation of harmful compounds.
As can be seen, in the 0–400°C range, the harmful substances produced are minimal. At the same time, according to the earlier chart, cigarettes do not combust at this temperature, which means the temperature can be controlled steadily rather than continuing to react until completion after ignition.
Summary: Combustion cannot be stopped once it starts, and it causes the temperature to rise -> higher temperatures generate harmful compounds -> lower temperatures can effectively reduce the chemical reactions that create harmful substances -> low temperature = safety!
• So does low temperature mean there are no harmful substances at all? Almost, but some decomposition reactions can still occur at 300°C. Based on the analysis of the aerosol produced by the THS 2.2 system, its main components are water vapor, nicotine, and glycerin.
