A COMPREHENSIVE review of 282 scientific studies concluded that completely switching from traditional cigarettes to heated tobacco products (HTPs) can reduce disease and death among smokers.

“While long-term epidemiological studies are still necessary to fully assess the risks of HTPs, there is broad agreement that switching entirely to HTPs from cigarettes presents fewer health risks,” said the paper, titled Heated Tobacco Products: Potentials of Harm Reduction, Improvement of Indoor Air Quality, and the Need for Further Studies.

The review found that aerosols from tobacco harm reduction (THR) products, such as HTPs, do not produce the same harmful effects as cigarette smoke. “When considering both aerosol content and indoor air quality, HTP use generates far fewer risks than smoking,” the study said. The report emphasized that, while not risk-free, HTP aerosols contain only a fraction of the harmful and potentially harmful compounds (HPHCs) found in cigarette smoke.

The study, published in the SciEnggJ, the official journal of the Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE), was authored by Aldwin A. Camance, a chemical engineer and advocate for climate change mitigation. “All calculations point to a reduction in possible deaths and cancer incidences for those who switch to HTPs,” the paper stated.

HTPs eliminate the process of burning tobacco in delivering nicotine. The study aimed to summarize global research on the toxicological impacts of HTPs and their effects on indoor air quality.

One popular HTP brand in the Philippines is IQOS, available since 2020. IQOS heats specially designed tobacco sticks, called TEREA, to deliver nicotine without smoke or ash.

The Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines (NCUP) said the findings support the argument that nicotine itself is not the problem, but rather how it’s consumed. “By using smoke-free methods like HTPs, people can still enjoy nicotine while potentially reducing both indoor and outdoor pollution,” said NCUP President Anton Israel.

Camance’s research highlights that air pollution and tobacco smoke rank among the top five causes of death in the Philippines. Given that Filipinos spend much of their time indoors, switching to HTPs could help reduce these risks, according to the paper.

The analysis was based on 282 studies, sourced mostly from PubMed and ScienceDirect, with data collected until July 2021. The findings showed that HTPs release fewer HPHCs than traditional cigarettes, resulting in lower concentrations of harmful compounds in indoor environments. This points to a lower risk of harm for those who use HTPs.

Despite the need for long-term studies, the paper argued that the harm reduction potential of switching to HTPs is significant. One study, conducted over 90 days, found that biomarkers of exposure to HPHCs were substantially lower in HTP users compared to smokers. The authors noted that longer-term trials are necessary to confirm these results.

Given the significant health risks posed by smoking, Camance argued that waiting for long-term studies to make policy changes is not practical. “The considerable risk of death due to smoking makes it unreasonable to wait for more studies when current data already show that HTPs reduce harm,” Camance said.

If international findings on the harm reduction potential of HTPs prove consistent, shifting from cigarettes to HTPs could play a valuable role in reducing respiratory diseases in the Philippines.

The review concluded that while more definitive studies are needed, particularly those involving long-term epidemiological data, current evidence suggests HTPs could be an important tool in tobacco harm reduction programs.