Which Is More Harmful, IQOS or Real Cigarettes?

Which is more harmful, IQOS or real cigarettes? Since the launch of IQOS, its rapid development has exceeded everyone's expectations, but there are still many doubts about IQOS. The main concerns revolve around whether IQOS is really healthier than traditional cigarettes. Philip Morris International has been releasing various research data reports on its products, and some international health organizations are also conducting studies. As ordinary consumers, we can only observe the changes, but we also have our practical methods.

Today, I want to write about the changes in IQOS tobacco sticks before and after heating, as well as a display of the internal materials and structure. The focus will be on the degree of filtration and the logic of reduced e-liquid.

Dissection preparation:

This time, I chose the Marlboro original flavor tobacco stick. The flavor doesn't matter much; after all, Marlboro is a mainstream product in the IQOS consumables.

For this article, I prepared two Marlboro tobacco sticks: one (on the left) that has not been heated, and one (on the right) that has oil stains from being heated. I also have a small pair of scissors for the "dissection surgery".

Unburned tobacco stick:

First, let's take a look at this clean, unheated tobacco stick. Before heating, it looks like this, which everyone seems to be familiar with, so there's no need for too much introduction. Well, the length of the tobacco stick is about half that of a regular cigarette.

After dissection, we see that the tobacco stick is divided into four parts. From left to right: mouthpiece filter cotton, a PLA e-liquid filter that looks like plastic, hollow filter cotton connecting to the tobacco part, and the tobacco itself.

Let's take a look at the tobacco. When we open it up, we find that it is actually not made from traditional tobacco leaves; it smells quite fragrant and feels soft with some moisture. It should be made from some special material after soaking.

Now let's look at that PLA e-liquid filter that looks particularly like plastic. This thing does indeed look like plastic, but in fact, it is PLA, or polylactic acid. Some people have mistakenly thought that this is plastic and wondered how harmful it would be to inhale heated plastic during smoking. In fact, this is a complete misunderstanding because it is not plastic at all.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a new type of bio-based and renewable biodegradable material made from renewable plant resources (such as corn) and starch raw materials. The starch is converted into glucose through saccharification, which is then fermented into high-purity lactic acid using glucose and certain strains, and finally synthesized into polylactic acid of a certain molecular weight through chemical methods. It has good biodegradability and can be completely degraded by microorganisms in nature under specific conditions, ultimately generating carbon dioxide and water without polluting the environment, making it very beneficial for environmental protection. This material is actually a long sheet that is "coiled" inside, wrapped into a cylindrical shape. You'll see its purpose shortly.

The hollow filter cotton is still white and clean before use.

The mouthpiece filter cotton is also like this; everything is normal and so white.

Post-heating dissection:

Okay, the main event has finally arrived. This is the heated tobacco stick, and the tobacco inside shows signs of being "inserted" by the IQOS heating element, already blackened and charred. There are also many oil stains on the tobacco paper.

Now looking at the heated IQOS tobacco stick, the tobacco part has turned black and charred, and the hollow filter surface also shows signs of discoloration. Looking at the PLA e-liquid filter, the part closest to the tobacco stick has shrunk, and finally, the mouthpiece filter cotton also shows signs of yellowing.

Let's take it apart to take a look. Number 1 is the mouthpiece, number 2 is the PLA, which from this angle shows signs of melting, and number 3 is the hollow filter cotton, which also has black edges. The final tobacco stick part is also quite black.

Now unfolding the heated color, the inside has become crispy and charred, and the charred parts crumble with a touch and have a strong smell.

The hollow filter cotton shows signs of discoloration, indicating that it filtered out harmful substances, especially tar.

The key point: Look at the yellow oil spots in image 2; these are the tar filtered out after heating. This means that when we smoke IQOS tobacco sticks, we go through three filtration stages, filtering out tar layer by layer, and the final smoke is relatively low in harm.

Finally, our mouthpiece part shows very little discoloration, indicating that the previous filtration stages were indeed meaningful and effectively reduced our tar intake.

In summary:

1. The "heat-not-burn" method makes IQOS healthier.

2. The structure of the tobacco stick also has a significant filtering effect on tar, enhancing health.

3. For health, it is recommended that everyone abandon traditional combustible cigarettes as soon as possible and switch to IQOS or other "heat-not-burn" electronic cigarettes like the Firearm GS5.0.

Finally, let me quote a passage explaining the principle of IQOS:

Principle: Traditional tobacco is consumed by ignition, with temperatures reaching 800 degrees during combustion. During the burning process, nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar, and other harmful substances are produced, while the tobacco itself releases flavor. Smokers primarily seek satisfaction through nicotine and the flavor of tobacco. There are over 2000 harmful components produced from smoking, with the main harmful substances coming from the tar generated during combustion. However, heat-not-burn electronic cigarettes operate at around 300 degrees, not exceeding 300 degrees. Tar is mainly produced at temperatures above 400 degrees. This means that heat-not-burn electronic cigarettes produce negligible amounts of tar due to their lower temperature, and since there is no combustion, there are no open flames or ash, while the flavor and aroma of tobacco are still released, allowing smokers to still experience the sensation of smoking real cigarettes.