Vape VS Heat-Not-Burn: What’s the Difference in the Philippines?
Vape in the Philippines revolutionized the way people use nicotine, but the changes are only just beginning. Heat-not-burn devices, which use actual tobacco but heat it rather than “smoking” it through combustion, offer a bit of a middle-ground between vaping and smoking.
But you might conclude that with the middle-ground in service, a middle-ground in danger follows. But is it? A recent study looks at precisely this question, although we can’t be sure yet: what exposes consumers to the most formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, vaping, smoking, or using a heat-not-burn device?
THE STUDY: What did they do?
The purpose of the analysis was straightforward: to take a cigarette (a Marlboro Red), a vaporizing device (a Nautilus Mini tank, filled with e-liquid nicotine, and vaporized 10 and 14 W) and a heat-not-burning device, and to compare the chemicals emitted by each. Specifically, the researchers targeted carbonyl compounds such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, propionaldehyde, and crotonaldehyde.
The explanation for this strategy is clear. Carbonyls are a large class of dangerous chemicals that we know are present in tobacco smoke. They have also been detected in e-cigarette vapor by high-profile results (which suffered from significant problems).
Although inhaling all of these chemicals is not optimal, as you would imagine, inhaling fewer of them on a day-to-day basis is safer than inhaling more of them. The report then presents a possible way to explore the future health benefits of transitioning from smoking to vaping or heat-not-burning.
IS HEAT-NOT-BURN SAFER THAN SMOKING?
The newest technique is Heat-Not-Burn. Because we already have lots of proof of carbonyl levels in e-cigarette vapor, the IQOS analysis findings are the most illuminating findings.
The study found that the levels of formaldehyde in HNB aerosols were 92% lower, 85% lower for acetaldehyde levels, 91% lower for acrolein, 89% lower for propionaldehyde, and 95% lower for crotonaldehyde.
Overall, using heat-not-burn instead of smoking would lower the carbonyl exposure by 85 to 95 percent after a pack of cigarettes.
Compared with smoking, this constitutes a massive decrease. For the smokers of Japan, who have switched to heat-not-burn in large numbers, and for everyone else who has been willing to turn to heat-not-burn, this is fantastic news.
The researchers also evaluated more extreme puffing regimens, and this did slightly modify the findings. For more vigorous puffing, the levels rose but stayed three or four times lower than tobacco smoke’s equivalent levels.
OTHER ISSUES: WHAT THE STUDY DOESN’T INCLUDE
It is important to remember that while the research reveals tremendous advantages for reducing carbonyl toxicity when you look at the safety of an alternative to smoke, there are also other factors to consider.
Nevertheless, conclusions agree with the remainder of the literature on heat-not-burn cigarettes, as reviewed by Public Health England in addition to the literature on vape in the Philippines.
Public Health England was a little clearer on the topic of IQOS and other heated tobacco products:
“The available evidence suggests that heated tobacco products may be considerably less harmful than tobacco cigarettes and more harmful than e-cigarettes.”
This almost sums up the state of the evidence on heat-not-burn goods, more than anything. As we have seen over the years for e-cigarette devices, there are several efforts to overstate any sign of a risk, but ultimately, converting to heat-not-burn will reduce the risks to your well-being.
Vape in the Philippines is undoubtedly the way to go if you want to minimize the health effects while still comparably drinking nicotine. Fixing it with a practical cigarette e-liquid gives much of the same advantages to keeping the experience comparable.
But this is not generally the correct way of looking at the situation. The main point is that some smokers will be tempted by heat-not-burn, and vaping will cater to others.
There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution; different methods are available that serve multiple smokers. It’s not just the “right” way to leave. It’s about the way that works personally for you.
CONCLUSION: VAPING AND HEAT-NOT-BURN ARE ALLIES
We should both accept that the positive thing is to reduce the risks of nicotine intake. No matter how they do so, we should applaud anyone who tries to do it. In terms of carbonyl compounds, the analysis provides a helpful analogy, and it helps to place various methods on a “risk scale,” but overall, the safest way to go is whatever works for you.
HNB and vape in the Philippines can be put in a competition by many, but they are both just efforts to do the same thing, and we all want that thing: fewer people dying from smoking-related diseases.
