ESTIMATING A PROBABILITY OF REDUCING RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SMOKING CONVENTIONAL CIGARETTES USING THE THS2.2 (IQOS) TECHNOLOGY

Abstract Objective The aim of the current review was the collection and analysis of information about the tobacco heating system THS commercialized as IQOSTM technology in comparison with conventional cigarettes CC. Data Sources The collection of data was performed with the help with the Pubmed database and other relevant sources including the websites of official health regulating bodies e.g. FDA, WHO, Public Health England for articles published until 15 February 2018 that contained key phrases as IQOS, tobacco heating systems THS, heat-not-burn, and other sources which were found to be relevant to the topic. Data Extraction Two reviewers defined independently the relevance of the articles and extracted the information from the literature sources. Data Synthesis In the review, there were included articles and other sources where the following characteristics of IQOS THS2.2 were described: chemical composition of the aerosol, studies conducted in vitro and in vivo, as well as clinical studies, and other relevant information such as potential THS aerosol carcinogenic properties, awareness, comments by critics, and others. By the results of the available information, THS aerosol is much less toxic comparing with CC smoke and can significantly reduce the harm and risk of development of tobacco-related diseases for smokers. However, it is advised to conduct the experiments with the expanded list of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents HPHC from the FDA list. There is also a need in clinical research of a longer period with the racial diversity of subjects where the biomarkers corresponding to various tobacco disease conditions could be studied. Conclusion The use of THS technology could lead to significant harm reduction and a reduction in the risk of tobacco-related diseases. However, it still poses a risk and cannot be recognized as completely safe.