Heat Not Burn

Heat not burn, aka heated tobacco, involves heating (or cooking) the tobacco leaves rather than burning them like a normal cigarette.

Normal tobacco cigarettes produce tar when they burn, which is “a sticky-brown substance that collects in the lungs when you breath in cigarette smoke”. Not only can it cause cancer, but also emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

However, heat not burn products like IQOS do not produce tar as they do not burn or combust the tobacco. Instead, they “generate an aerosol residue that is fundamentally different from “tar” and consists of significantly lower levels of harmful chemicals.”

The evidence shows that, while using IQOS is not risk-free, switching completely to IQOS presents less risk to your health than continuing to smoke.