Heat-not-burn tobacco 'is a health risk'
The advisory
panel to the government said the devices produce "a number of compounds
of concern", including some that can cause cancer.To get more news about
Heat not burn, you can visit hitaste official website.
Manufacturers
say their products are aimed at smokers who want the "taste of tobacco
with no smoke and less smell".The panel was concerned that young
non-smokers might start using the products.
There were also
worries that the products could lead people to take up smoking
cigarettes.The devices heat tobacco to a high enough temperature to
create a vapour but not smoke.They are different to e-cigarettes, which
vaporise a liquid containing nicotine - the highly addictive compound in
tobacco smoke.
The committee found that people using
heat-not-burn products are exposed to between 50% to 90% fewer "harmful
and potentially harmful" compounds compared with conventional
cigarettes.Prof Alan Boobis, committee chairman, said: "The evidence
suggests that heat-not-burn products still pose a risk to users. There
is likely to be a reduction in risk for cigarette smokers who switch to
heat-not-burn products but quitting entirely would be more beneficial."
There
was not enough evidence for the committee to compare heat-not-burn with
e-cigarettes.But the committee noted: "If people perceive e-cigarettes
as safe this perception could transfer to heat-not-burn tobacco
products, despite a lack of data on which to establish this."
Public
Health England says there is a large amount of evidence that shows
e-cigarettes are much less harmful than smoking - at least 95%.
"We
encourage smokers to try e-cigarettes as a way of stopping smoking.
People who combine e-cigarettes with support from their local
stop-smoking service have some of the highest quit success
rates."Quitting tobacco-use completely is still the healthiest option,
say health experts.
A spokesman for Philip Morris Limited, which
makes IQOS, said: "We are encouraged by today's statement of the UK's
Committee on Toxicity and will continue to share our scientific
evidence."We believe that smoke-free alternatives, including heated
tobacco products like IQOS and e-cigarettes, have significant potential
to be less harmful than cigarettes and can play an important role for
smokers and public health."
Simon Clark from the smokers' group
Forest said: "Electronic cigarettes are a step too far for many smokers
so if the government wants smokers to quit there has to be a range of
products that fills the gap between combustible tobacco and
e-cigarettes."
The Wall