When cigarettes are lit and burned (that is, when combustion is generated) more than four thousand chemical substances are generated, of which at least 69 are known to cause cancer and many are toxic. Since smoke is the main cause of these substances, when combustion is eliminated it is possible to drastically reduce the damage. It is clear that nicotine, contained in cigarettes, is addictive and not harmless, however, this is not the main cause of smoking-related diseases.
Smokers do it for the nicotine. There are several alternative consumer products that offer nicotine without combustion. Among the most common are the electronic cigarette and heated tobacco. “E-cigarettes and heating tobacco products represent only a small fraction of the risks of smoking and have the potential to make smoking obsolete, which would have a profound beneficial impact on public health,” declared Prof. Peter Hajek of Queen Mary University of London.
It is important to point out that, without a doubt, the optimal thing for smokers is to give up cigarettes and products that contain nicotine permanently, but the reality is that it is a very complicated process. So regulated alternative products may be an option to reduce harm for adult smokers.
“More than a decade ago, a new technology emerged that causes a paradigm shift. New devices without combustion, electronic cigarettes and later heated tobacco, allow clean nicotine to be consumed, separated from the toxic components of the smoke, which are the true causes of the disease”, commented Dr. Diego Verrastro, Redlat (Latin American Network for Tobacco Harm Reduction).