Electronic cigarettes, herbal cigarettes, vaping – people will try anything marketed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes if it means they don’t have to give up the habit completely. Despite the fact that none of these alternatives are completely safe, products continue to appear on the market. One recent addition to the playing field is iQOS, a battery-operated electronic device manufactured by Phillip Morris International (also known as PMI, the makers of Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson & Hedges, Merit, Parliament, and many more).
The devices consist of disposable tobacco sticks, called HEETS or HeatSticks, which are about the size of a pen, that are heated but do not burn. These sticks come with a holder and a recharger, which is about the size of a cell phone. Phillip Morris claims that this cuts exposure to the carcinogens created when tobacco is burned, since there is no fire, ash, or smoke, and instead the tobacco is just heated enough to release a “flavorful nicotine-containing vapor.” Although nicotine is an addictive chemical, the carcinogenic byproducts of cigarettes are the real danger, which is why some public health officials have been calling for safer nicotine delivery systems.
The sticks are inserted into the holder, which contains an electronic heater, and the user pushes a button to turn it on. Once you’re finished, you dispose of the stick and recharge the holder by inserting it into the charger.
Phillip Morris wanted to advertise that using these devices is safer than smoking cigarettes, which would require FDA approval. PMI representatives went before an advisory committee in January 2018 to plead their case, but the committee rejected its claims. Apart from not being sold on the health benefits, committee members pointed out that the cost would not be a motivating factor in switching, as the charging device itself is $79 and the disposable sticks cost about the same as a pack of cigarettes. These recommendations aren’t binding, meaning the FDA isn’t required to follow them, and as of July 2018 they have yet to make a decision on what sort of warning label to require on the iQOS.
There is currently little published research on the health effects of these devices, either positive or negative, and what is available has mostly been published by Phillip Morris. Critics are concerned that with the FDA approving them for use in the United States, consumers will view that as an endorsement. If further studies find that the iQOS is in fact a safer alternative to cigarettes, that would fine, but if they prove harmful down the road, the damage will already have been done. Also, some health officials worry it might serve as a sort of implied endorsement of other cigarette alternatives and even traditional cigarettes themselves.
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