Tobacco stock does not contain chopped tobacco leaves and is made from compressed tobacco powder with the addition of water, glycerin , guar gum and cellulose fibers . Prepared tobacco is compressed by compression (patented "crimping" technology). The weight of the stack is about 320 mg.
The holder is an electronic system powered by a battery. Inside the holder is a ceramic heating element covered with gold and platinum. The system heats the tobacco in a precisely set temperature range.
The charger is used to charge the holder.
The system uses HeatControl technology, which allows to heat tobacco to a temperature not exceeding 350 C ° the temperature of burning tobacco in a cigarette is from 600 C ° to 900 C °. In IQOS, tobacco is not subject to combustion, and the system produces tobacco vapor (aerosol) , in which the level of harmful substances (except nicotine ) is on average lower than in cigarette smoke. The use of IQOS is still harmful and does not rule out health risks associated with tobacco consumption .
Smoking twice a day is not recommended due to increased toxicity. Violation of heating technology and safety leads to the release of harmful impurities, so repeated use has a negative impact on human health.
IQOS is part of the company's brand portfolio of smokeless products, which PMI has been working on for more than 10 years and in which it has invested more than 8.1 billion US dollars. More than 9400 scientists, engineers and specialists from various fields worked together to create and evaluate its' smokeless products.
Research conducted by the manufacturer Philip Morris International (FMI) before selling its tobacco heating systems compared the chemical composition, genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of the aerosol in the heating systems of tobacco and smoke in conventional cigarettes . It was found that the level of most of the analyzed harmful and potentially harmful components in tobacco heating systems is on average 90-95% lower than in cigarette smoke. Equally proportionally less genotoxic and cytotoxic aerosol compared to tobacco smoke in in vitro laboratory toxicological tests . This is due to the fact that in IQOS tobacco is heated, not burned.
In June 2018, FMI published the results of the first six months of the 12-month Exposure Response Study. The aim of the study was to compare the biological response of people who used IQOS with those who continued to smoke cigarettes. The study involved 984 volunteer smokers, 496 of whom continued to smoke cigarettes for six months, and 488 replaced them with IQOS. At the end of six months, it was found that in the IQOS group some markers of clinical risk ( high-density lipoprotein , leukocytes, soluble molecule of intercellular adhesion SICAM-1, 11-dehydrothromboxane-B2, 8-epi-prostaglandin-2, carboxyhemoglobin, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), total NNAL) showed the dynamics that usually occurs when quitting smoking.
In 2017, Swiss scientists (Reto Auer et al.) Conducted their own study of IQOS products, which found that the aerosol obtained by heating tobacco sticks found a nicotine content of 84% of the level contained in cigarette smoke. In addition, the study claimed that IQOS aerosol contains products of tobacco pyrolysis and other substances that are as harmful as in ordinary cigarette smoke. According to the authors of the published study, the use of IQOS tobacco sticks indoors should be subject to the same prohibition as the smoking of regular cigarettes. In response, FMI issued a rebuttal questioning the study's methods and interpretation of the results. Because the researchers used a non-standard smoking device for chemical analysis, which was developed and tested by them independently. Researchers from FMI also pointed out errors in the methodology of the tests, which could significantly affect the result.
