LONDON & WASHINGTON -- The ongoing debate over the effectiveness of “heat-not-burn” devices and electronic cigarettes in reducing harm among users flared up recently, with two new research findings supporting potential health benefits.
Even as the U.S. Surgeon General declared e-cigs a danger to young people, researchers in Washington, D.C., and London were emphasizing the positive aspects of “heat-not-burn” and vapor-based formats.
Specifically referring to heat-not-burn products, in which a device heats tobacco at lower temperatures than regular combustible cigarettes, Edward Anselm, a senior fellow at the R Street Institute, Washington, D.C., this month revealed a new policy study that said the technology represents a “promising” public-health tool.
“Heating tobacco at lower temperatures than combustible cigarettes allows nicotine to be delivered in ways that retain much of the ritual and experience of smoking,” Anselm wrote in his report. “Comprehensive scientific programs have demonstrated these products present significantly reduced risk when compared to traditional cigarettes. Collectively, they represent a new set of tools to reduce the harm of combustible tobacco.”
Although heat-not-burn products are largely available only in overseas markets, they could be attractive to users of traditional tobacco products who prefer them to currently available e-cigarettes, Anselm said.
“While it appears the research programs to support [heat-not-burn] products are well on their way toward meeting the requirements for new and modified risk products, it is not yet clear how stringently the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] will interpret the guidelines,” Anselm wrote.
Meanwhile, London-based researchers found that people who switched from smoking regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as gum or patches for at least six months had much lower levels of toxins in their saliva and urine than those who continued to smoke, according to a report from the Huffington Post.
“Our study adds to existing evidence showing that e-cigarettes and NRT are far safer than smoking, and suggests that there is a very low risk associated with their long-term use,” said Lion Shahab, a specialist in epidemiology and public health at University College London, who led the work.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.