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American study: IQOS cigarettes contain cancer-causing chemicals

2023-11-30 19:54:35Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
American study: IQOS cigarettes contain cancer-causing chemicals
IQOS

Many smokers are switching from traditional smoking to IQOS electronic cigarettes. This is seen as a way to avoid as many of the health problems that smoking causes, and the increased use is attributed to the marketing that IQOS manufacturers are doing, according to which this cigarette is less harmful to health. But are IQOS e-cigarettes really less effective? Are they safer than regular cigarettes?

Zoom.al is answering these questions through the data of the "MDA Anderson Cancer Center", part of the University of Texas in the United States of America.

Expert Maher Karam-Hage, MD, answers some questions about this new product.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States of America has launched a crackdown on the use of e-cigarettes among young people and says that the marketing of this new product will be very limited to adult smokers.

This is because many children started using e-cigarettes.

The FDA says sales of IQOS to adults will be allowed because "the products produce lower levels of certain toxins than combustible cigarettes." However, the FDA is very specific that they do not endorse the product as “safe” or “FDA approved”.

According to the FDA statement: "All tobacco products are potentially harmful and addictive, and those who do not use tobacco products should continue to refrain from doing so."

Maher Karam-Hage, MD, professor of behavioral sciences and medical director of the Tobacco Treatment Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center, says IQOS can be just as harmful as regular cigarettes and so-called light cigarettes. Here's how he answers the most common questions about this product.

What is IQOS?

IQOS is a tobacco heating system that uses tobacco wrapped in a special paper to deliver nicotine to the user.

These so-called "heaters" heat up inside the IQOS and nicotine is released with other tobacco ingredients and flavors for users to inhale.

This is different from regular cigarettes, which burn tobacco. The bottom line, however, is that the aerosol released by the lit cigarette in IQOS contains cancer-causing chemicals.

Is IQOS safer than regular cigarettes?

Because it is tobacco, the chemicals released into the aerosol from an IQOS device are the same cancer-causing substances found in cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Some were found in IQOS at even higher levels, while others were lower.

Heating tobacco instead of burning it may produce fewer cancer-causing substances. And those that are released are in lower quantities. But that doesn't mean IQOS is safe, says Karam-Hage.

"We don't know if IQOS is less harmful or if it will cause less disease than smoking in the long term," he says.

Conclusion: “Quitting smoking is the best way to reduce the risk of disease from smoking. And the best way to do that is to use medications, nicotine patches, tablets and gum."

How is IQOS different from JUUL and other electronic cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes currently on the market are nicotine delivery devices that have a battery, a heating element and a liquid container. When the liquid is heated, users inhale the aerosol as a vapor.

IQOS devices do not use hot liquids, like e-cigarettes, to deliver nicotine into the body. IQOS devices heat real tobacco leaves that contain many natural toxins and cancer-causing substances.

Another way e-cigarettes and IQOS devices differ: e-liquids come in different flavors. IQOS only comes in regular tobacco or menthol flavors.

"The only way IQOS and e-cigarettes are similar is that they both have a battery and don't burn tobacco," says Karam-Hage.

What should smokers know about IQOS?

The FDA has not approved IQOS as a safe product. It is also not said to be an effective tool to help users quit smoking.

Karam-Hage compared this new product to the "apparently healthier" low-tar cigarettes introduced decades ago. Low-tar and "light" cigarettes proved no safer in the long run and in some cases cause new forms of disease.

If you don't smoke, don't start. If you smoke, the best thing you can do for your health is to give up all tobacco products.

Karam-Hage says the best way to quit smoking is with a program that includes a combination of medication or medical nicotine replacement that uses purified nicotine, along with psychological support.

One of the best things you can do to reduce your risk of cancer is to quit smoking. E-cigarettes have not been proven to be a safe or effective way to quit smoking. The best way to quit smoking is with a comprehensive approach that includes medication or nicotine replacement therapy and psychological support. /Zoom.al


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