Top 6 myths and FAQs about smoke-free alternatives

It’s well-known that cigarette smoking is harmful and can cause smoking-related diseases and the best choice any smoker can make is to quit tobacco and nicotine altogether but not everyone knows why smoke-free alternatives offer better options for those adults who would otherwise continue smoking.

Below we answer some commonly asked questions about smoke-free alternatives, to dispel misinformation and confusion about vaping, e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn products.

1. How are smoke-free alternatives different to cigarettes?

Smoke-free alternatives don’t burn tobacco, which means that, if they are scientifically substantiated and regulated to an appropriate standard, they are a better alternative to continuing to smoke cigarettes. When lit, cigarettes burn tobacco at temperatures above 600°C, flaring to more than 800°C when a smoker takes a puff. In the process, they create smoke, ash, tar, and high levels of harmful chemicals. By eliminating combustion, scientifically substantiated alternatives are designed to significantly reduce the levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarette smoke. They are not risk-free however, and the best choice is always to quit tobacco and nicotine completely.

• Do smoke-free alternatives contain nicotine?

All heated tobacco products that have been commercialised contain nicotine, because it occurs naturally in tobacco. Most vapes and e-cigarettes also contain nicotine, which is inhaled. Nicotine is one of the reasons people smoke, along with other elements such as taste and ritual. In order for adult smokers to fully switch from cigarettes to better alternatives, these products generally need to contain nicotine. Although vapes, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products don’t burn tobacco – which is the main cause of smoking-related diseases – they are not risk-free. Quitting tobacco and nicotine completely is always the best choice, and while quitting can be difficult for some, millions of people do each year.

3. Is nicotine the primary cause of smoking-related diseases? 

Nicotine is not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. These diseases, such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and emphysema, are caused primarily by inhaling harmful compounds formed when tobacco is burned. Nicotine is addictive and not risk-free. Certain people – including pregnant or breastfeeding women, and people with heart disease, severe high blood pressure, or diabetes – should not use tobacco or nicotine-containing products. Minors, in particular, should not have access to nicotine-containing products.

• Are all smoke-free products the same?

There are actually a number of differences – and some similarities – between e-cigarettes, also known as vape5s, e-vapor products and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), and heat-not-burn devices, also known as heated tobacco products. They are all smoke-free alternatives to the continued use of cigarettes. But heat-not-burn products heat real tobacco within a specific temperature range, generally using an electronic heat-control system to prevent it from burning. E-cigarettes, by contrast, usually vaporise a liquid solution containing nicotine and flavours when a user draws on it.

• Do vapes and heat-not-burn products give off smoke? 

What may appear to be “smoke” emitting from a vape or heat-not-burn product is actually an aerosol, which is a suspension of fine liquid and/or solid particles in a gas (usually air). Smoke contains thousands of chemicals, of which about one hundred have been classified by public health authorities as harmful or potentially harmful.  Vapes and heat-not-burn products do not emit smoke, as they have not burned the tobacco. Cigarettes burn tobacco, which creates smoke, which is also an aerosol. However, the composition of the aerosol in smoke is very different from the aerosol emitted by vapes and heat-not-burn products. Again, where it comes to smoke-free alternatives, it is important to note they are not risk-free however, and the best choice is always to quit tobacco and nicotine completely.

• Do we need less-harmful alternatives?

Through the work of government regulation and public health campaigns, smoking prevalence declined 4.1% in the decade between 2005 and 2015, according to the World Health Organisation. Yet despite these efforts, millions of people who understand the risks continue to smoke cigarettes. According to WHO estimates, more than one billion people will still be smoking in 2025, roughly the same number as today. Nine out of 10 smokers will continue to smoke in any given year.

In simple terms if you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you smoke, quit. If you don’t quit, change. Adults who would otherwise continue smoking should have access to information about smoke-free alternatives.

To learn more, head to the Unsmoke South Africa homepage.

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This post was sponsored and supplied by Philip Morris International.