Is IQOS Harmful to the Body? Is Japanese IQOS Harmful?

Is IQOS harmful to the body? Is Japanese IQOS harmful? Nowadays, if you mention IQOS to smokers, most people are aware of it; IQOS is that popular. Most people buy it because they believe IQOS is healthier than traditional cigarettes. If you want an easy way to quit smoking, I suggest you try IQOS.

Many people may wonder if IQOS is harmful to the body. Even many IQOS users are unclear about the truth. My conclusion for you is that IQOS is definitely less harmful to the human body than traditional cigarettes. This is not just my opinion; many foreign institutions have research results proving that IQOS is less harmful than regular cigarettes. Let's analyze the research results on the harm of IQOS from abroad!

Heated non-combustible cigarettes have undergone extensive research and validation by foreign tobacco companies regarding the composition of smoke and toxicological evaluations. The carcinogen content in IQOS smoke is 80% less than that of regular cigarettes, reducing the intake of mutagens by 70% and lowering the incidence of bronchitis and pneumonia by 46% and 36%, respectively, significantly reducing the harm of tobacco products to the human body. The main technical difficulty lies not in the IQOS device itself, but in its tobacco heating sticks—Marlboro HeatSticks.

Firstly, the technology contained in IQOS tobacco sticks is far beyond what so-called emerging tech e-cigarette companies can control. It requires a large amount of traditional tobacco manufacturing processes and extensive smoke analysis validation.

IQOS tobacco materials have been found to contain 41 substances under thermal decomposition conditions of 50-350°C. The main substances include acetic acid, propylene glycol, nicotine, glycerin, etc. Both glycerin and propylene glycol are artificially added smoke-generating agents, and nicotine is also artificially added to provide satisfaction; other main substances include acetic acid, ketones, aldehydes, and alkanes. The characteristics of heated non-combustible cigarettes, lower heating temperatures, and lighter smoke aroma indicate that the sensory quality of IQOS tobacco materials relies more on artificially added volatile aromatic substances, while the smoking experience of traditional cigarettes relies more on high-temperature thermal decomposition and thermosynthesis.

IQOS heats tobacco by baking it at temperatures below 350°C, without combustion, and thus does not produce the taste of extinguished tobacco, allowing for nicotine production.

However, the nicotine produced is over 90% less than that of regular cigarettes. Although the heating process cannot completely eliminate tar production, the amount of tar produced is very low, almost negligible compared to normal tobacco combustion.

Lower temperature heating can release the true flavor of tobacco, providing the throat hit similar to smoking while significantly reducing the chemical substances produced during the combustion of traditional tobacco.

Conclusion: Although IQOS tobacco sticks are made from tobacco materials, in terms of core technology, they lean more towards the e-liquid technology found in e-cigarettes. To put it simply: IQOS tobacco sticks are products of traditional cigarettes mixed with e-liquid. Therefore, IQOS can effectively deliver the taste of real cigarettes while greatly reducing the health risks associated with traditional cigarettes!
Does IQOS also have health risks?

Theoretically, most IQOS users experience changes in their health after switching to IQOS, such as:

In the morning, coughs disappear, smoking decreases, and returning to regular cigarettes feels a bit smelly!

Scientific evidence

Compared to cigarette smoke, IQOS reduces harmful substances by 90%, as stated on the official website.

Additionally, IQOS vapor dissipates faster than cigarette smoke, which also proves it does not affect indoor air quality. If there are children or elderly people at home, there is no need to worry about the effects of secondhand smoke!

However, the results of clinical trials seem to have not been published yet, and I cannot obtain any further information.

Moreover, the official website also states:

IQOS is a product for adult smokers who want to continue smoking. IQOS is not for adult non-smokers or those who want to quit smoking. IQOS is not risk-free. Although it can serve as a tobacco alternative, it is not intended for non-smokers or those looking to quit smoking.

I am also a loyal user of e-cigarettes, and my favorite is still IQOS, not for any other reason, but for two points: low harm and good quitting effect. So when it comes to e-cigarettes, I believe IQOS is definitely a leading product in the e-cigarette industry. I have already quit traditional cigarettes for some time, and I am very satisfied with IQOS.