Jakarta (ANTARA) – There are now many alternative tobacco products circulating in the community as a solution to reduce or stop consuming conventional cigarettes.
Alternative tobacco has various types, ranging from vapes, tobacco bags, under, to heated tobacco products. The following is a brief review of the facts and uses of alternative heated tobacco in various countries, quoted from various sources:
Different from vaping
It turns out that heated tobacco products are different from vaping. The difference lies in the raw materials used. If the vape uses liquid nicotine, then the heated tobacco product uses the original tobacco.
“Although both are electronic devices, heated tobacco products are different from vaping which uses chemical liquids,” as quoted from The Conversation.com.
In heated tobacco products, real tobacco is heated at a controlled temperature below 350 degrees Celsius. By maintaining this temperature, the combustion process will not occur.
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The heating process of heated tobacco products produces steam, while the combustion of cigarettes produces smoke. The smoke contains 7,000 chemicals, 2,000 of which are carcinogenic TAR.
“Combustion has always been a problem because it releases thousands of harmful chemicals. This product has the potential to reduce the risks of smoking cigarettes,” said former UK director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), Clive Bates.
Marketed in 27 countries
Quoted from the www.gov.uk page, heated tobacco products have been commercially available in 27 countries since mid-2017. Japan is the country with the fastest user growth.
“Japan has the most diverse market for heated tobacco products. Heated tobacco products increased by 0.3 percent in 2015 to 3.7 percent in 2017, indicating the fast penetration of these products,” explains the official website www.gov.uk , quoted Thursday.
Lower risk
The executive agency of the UK Department of Health, Public Health England (PHE), in its Evidence Review of E-Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products 2018 reports that heated tobacco products have up to 95 percent lower risk than cigarettes.
The UK Committee on Toxicology (COT), part of the Food Standards Agency, also came to a positive conclusion. The COT concluded that aerosols produced by heated tobacco products contain 50 to 98 percent lower levels of harmful chemicals than cigarette smoke.
“This product contains nicotine and is not completely risk-free, but research from experts in the UK and the US has shown that with proper regulation this product can reduce the harm that comes from smoking,” said the Public Health England website.
Obtained FDA approval
One of the heated tobacco products has received marketing clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA US). In 2019, the FDA issued approval for the pre-market tobacco product application (PMTA) of heated tobacco products.
A year later, the FDA determined that the product could be marketed as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP). This means that heated tobacco products are fundamentally different from cigarettes and the issuance of the authorization is expected to be of benefit to public health.
“Through the application process of risk-modified tobacco products, the FDA aims to ensure that information directed to consumers about reducing the risk or exposure of using tobacco products is supported by scientific evidence and is understandable,” said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. reported on the FDA website.
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Reporter: Alviansyah Pasaribu
Editor: Maria Rosari Dwi Putri
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