For many generations, tobacco has played a special role in our society. After Columbus discovered America in 1492, tobacco and related products found their way to Europe. Over the years, tobacco has been awarded various qualities. The medical world lived on the assumption that tobacco had a medical effect. It was long maintained that tobacco had a beneficial effect on users’ moods. However, since the late 1970s of the twentieth century it has become clear that tobacco, with all its biochemical components, also has a detrimental effect on the overall health (SNT,2017).
However we do not live in the 70’s anymore. We now live in the era of digitalization and technology and the tobacco industry has made acquaintance with technology itself. This is where IQOS, a new type of smokeless cigarette of Phillip Morris, comes in the picture. Under the lead of Phillip Morris International, a leading international tobacco company, IQOS is the product that offers smokers a better choice. It is a smokeless cigarette that has been described as a hybrid between analogs and electronic cigarette. The smoker still smokes tobacco to get nicotine but instead of burning the tobacco, it is being heated. IQOS with its heat control technology, heats the tobacco just enough to release a flavourful nicotine-containing vapor but without the burning tobacco. Because the tobacco is heated and not burned, the levels of harmful chemicals are significantly reduced compared to cigarette smoke. According to the company’s own research, the cigarette contains 90 percent less harmful substances than a normal cigarette (Phillip Morris, 2017).
This could perhaps be the future of smoking. But is the IQOS actually less harmful than a traditional cigarette? Some physicians think otherwise. Wanda, for example who is a well-known pulmonary physician in the Netherlands claims that all the carcinogens contained in the cigarette are also included here. Cancer develops slowly. It is impossible for the manufacturer to know if this IQOS phenomenon is less cancer-causing. It also took years before its became clear that tobacco was harmful for the health (Kanter, 2017).
Do you think that Phillip Morris International will save the human race from the harmful substances of traditional cigarettes? Or do you think the company is just in it for the money? Hit the subscribe button if you liked this article or comment below.
References:
Stichting Nederlands Tabakhistorie (2017). Tobacco in The Netherlands. http://www.tabakshistorie.nl/nl/tabakshistorie/tabak-in-nederland/19/
Phillip Morris (2017). IQOS. https://www.pmi.com/smoke-free-products/iqos-our-tobacco-heating-system
Kanter, W. (2017). Nieuwe ‘gezonde’ sigaret te koop: Trap niet in dit reclamepraatje?
https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/gezondheid/nieuwe-gezonde-sigaret-te-koop-trap-niet-in-dit-reclamepraatje
Hi Tang, nice article! Like you said, in the early days smoking was normal and totally accepted, but later on, smoking became more and more unaccepted. Especially the past few years I have noticed an increase in the anti-smoke culture in The Netherlands. The so-called ‘click’ cigarette got banned and the shocking pictures which used to be only on the cigarettes people brought home from holidays in places far away got printed on the Dutch cigarette packages as well. I think these anti-smoke cultures are growing all around the world and the development of the IQOS cigarette is a logical result of this event. But for sure Philip Morris’ motive to launch the IQOS has nothing to do with people’s health. My opinion about the motive? Money of course. For every normal package of cigarettes sold, the Dutch government pockets a big percentage of tax and for example, only 1 euro goes to Philip Morris. But when selling IQOS for the same price, Philip Morris is not taxed as heavily as for the normal cigarettes and takes for example 5 euro. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Hello Tang,
Christine, I think that is a good point you made! They will definitely do it for the money. Furthermore, I believe these alternatives are not going to work in the future. The thing that should be done is promote the negative sides of smoking more. Only then people will quit smoking.
Interesting article to read! I agree with Christine’s statement, this is rather a marketing stunt than that Philip Morris really care about the people’s health.
In an article I read researchers of the University of Bern also stated that the same harmful substances will be released by using the IQOS cigarette instead of a normal cigarette, also by incomplete combustion is this the case. Of course the own research of Morris stated that the product include 90-95 % less harmful substances, but I think this is a bit too optimistic. Philip Morris should have spent more than 2,5 billion for research, but it is obvious that this investigation is biased (it is a very good result for Morris). Esther Croes (doctor and epidemiologist at Trimbos Instituut) stated that this product is also carcinogenic, therefore there is no safe level of exposure. On this moment nobody knows exactly what the truth is, also Philip Morris admits that we only know the long-term effects after five to ten years. The best solution is an independent research, till then we never know exactly what are the effects of the IQOS. (Dijk, 2017)
It is thus obviously that this is a marketing stunt, because it is only based on the company’s own research and the long-term effects can’t be investigated at this moment.
Van Dijk, M. (2017). Is de rookvrije sigaret echt minder ongezond? Retrieved from https://www.trouw.nl/home/is-de-rookvrije-sigaret-echt-minder-ongezond-~a1243c6d/