Everything You Need to Know about Heat-not-Burn Tobacco Products

You may have heard about heated tobacco products, or heat-not-burn products. These innovative products heat dry tobacco instead of burning it, releasing tobacco flavor with no fire, no ash, and no smoke. Why is heating tobacco better than burning? Keep reading to know more.

There is not much awareness on the actual harms of smoking within the Lebanese society. A relatively large segment of society (be it smokers or non-smokers) still believes nicotine is the primary cause of smoking-related disease, due to misinformation and lack of relevant awareness campaigns. Nicotine, while addictive and not risk-free, is not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases, which in turn is corroborated by leading scientific and medical experts and entities worldwide such as FDA. It is actually the combustion that generates much of the harmful chemicals that are associated with smoking-related diseases.

Philip Morris International (PMI)’s objective is to raise the right (scientific) awareness about the harmful role of combustion, and have decided to invest in smoke-free products that are a much better choice than smoking cigarettes. The world’s leading tobacco company, has already invested more than $8bn into the science and research in order to create a smoke-free world.

PMI’s most advanced Heat not Burn (HnB) productIt heats tobacco instead of burning it, thus eliminating the principle of combustion. Therefore, the heating tobacco device contains on average 95% less harmful chemicals compared to the smoke of a burning cigarette. However, It does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk as IQOS is not risk free.  The device heats tobacco at a temperature of 350 degrees rather than burning it at a temperature of 800 degrees, thereby creating a nicotine-containing vapor with significantly less harmful toxicants than cigarette smoke. Moreover, the smoke-free product offers the same ritual characteristics of a conventional cigarette while approaching as much as possible the taste and delivering the same nicotine dose. Another advantage of this innovation is that it is less likely to bother people around you since it produces less smell than cigarettes. Thus, it is not a source of secondhand smoke, and its use does not affect indoor air quality.

This product is currently commercialized in more than 664 markets around the world. More than 19 Million smokers so far decided to use it, of which 14 Million completely stopped smoking cigarettes.

PMI doesn’t encourage smoking. However, millions of men and women smoke around the world. Some of them want to quit, others want a less harmful option, without giving up the pleasure. To address their needs and build a smoke-free future, PMI has developed breakthrough alternative products scientifically proven to be less harmful. Finally, it is important to mention that the product is not risk-free because of its nicotine delivery, which is still addictive.

This article is brought to you by Philip Morris Lebanon.