A smoking cessation expert said the combustion or burning process is what causes disease and death from smoking.
“Practically all risks to health from smoking are due to combustion products that are released from burning tobacco,” said Peter Hajek, professor of clinical psychology and director of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine’s Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London.
Hajek, who is known for his research into smoking cessation, made the statement to clear the confusion among authorities in countries such as the Philippines over the difference between smoking and nicotine consumption.
Numerous studies have shown that it is the tar and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke that cause the death and disease associated with smoking, and not nicotine.
Hajek said that by removing the element of combustion from nicotine consumption, health risks will be significantly reduced. He said this is possible by using products such as e-cigarettes or Swedish snus.
“E-cigarettes are expected to pose less than 5 percent of risks of smoking, and with snus, the risks are even smaller,” he said.
Manila Standard Business – June 29, 2020.