The Distinct Differences Between Electronic Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products

The term “Electronic Cigarettes” was used in the headline of a recent article about the EU’s proposed ban on flavoured heated tobacco products, but the article itself only referred to the products as “heated tobacco products,” not e-liquid vapes. When presented in this way, heated tobacco products (HTPs) that still contain tobacco are often lumped together with electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) that use e-liquid.

In the past, heated tobacco products were not uncommon.

Since 1988, tobacco manufacturers have been experimenting with different types of heated tobacco products, with varying degrees of success. With more success happening in recent years, most were pulled within a year of release.

The pressure to end smoking, the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, is growing stronger by the day. Since the introduction of the “e-cigarette,” tobacco manufacturers have been scrambling to catch up by either acquiring vape companies or introducing their own product to compete with e-cigs; heated tobacco products are one such product.

The function of HTPs: what is it, exactly?

Many of us are now accustomed to using e-liquid vapes, but heated tobacco products are very different from what we’re used to. For inhalation, heated tobacco products, like electronic cigarettes, heat dried tobacco to temperatures no higher than 350 °C. Because burning the tobacco results in the creation of more harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke, heated tobacco systems aim to prevent this by limiting the temperature.

Many of the earliest attempts at these products may have been yanked from the market so quickly because they still produced high levels of carcinogens and carbon monoxide.

There are currently two main types of heated tobacco products on the market. One uses a carbon tin wrapped in glass fibres, and when the user lights the tip, the heated dried tobacco releases an aerosol. The other method involves placing tobacco sticks in a heating device that pierces the paper wrap and heats the tobacco, releasing an aerosol.

What sets heated tobacco apart from electronic cigarettes?

The nicotine in the e-liquid is heated by the coil, which is heated by the battery, and then the aerosol is inhaled into the lungs.

All of these products are designed to mimic the experience of smoking cigarettes by delivering nicotine to the user through their lungs. The heat’s effect on the substance being heated is what sets it apart.

Electronic cigarettes work by vaporising liquid nicotine. Propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavourings, and nicotine are the components that go into creating e-liquid. Visit our site for more information on “What Exactly is in Vape Juice?” If you want a more in-depth explanation of the components of your e-liquid, check out “Here Is Everything You Need To Know.”

HTPs work by heating tobacco to a temperature above that at which it can burn, thereby reducing the formation of harmful byproducts.

While e-liquid e-cigarettes don’t contain any of the heavy metals that the tobacco plant normally absorbs from the soil, HTP users still are. Further, two recent studies did find elevated levels of carbon monoxide in exhaled breath following HTP use, suggesting that combustion may still be occurring in some HTP designs.

In contrast, the only component of e-liquids is nicotine, and even this can be synthesised, so when you vape hellvape with e-liquid, you’re not exposing yourself to the other chemicals found in tobacco.

In what way are flavoured HTPs harmful that they should be prohibited?

Stella Kyriakides, EU commissioner for health and food safety, has stated that the proposed ban of flavoured heated tobacco products is an attempt to “make smoking as unattractive as possible to protect the health of our citizens and save lives,” especially among young people. Considering the 10% increase in HTP sales seen across more than five EU member states, this was proposed. It’s worth noting that there’s no speculation that this increase is due to smokers trying to switch to something safer…

The use of HTP has been shown in studies to expose the user to far fewer harmful chemicals than smoking tobacco. Flavorings add toxins, but since the tobacco isn’t being burned, the resulting toxins should be negligible. The use of flavoured HTPs is, therefore, much safer than cigarette smoking.

Some countries’ marketing of e-cigarettes, in which flavours were named with child-appeal and packaging was made bright and colourful to attract the eye, seems to be the source of the “flavoured” argument. Because of this, the use of electronic cigarettes among American youth has increased. To counteract the product’s appeal to a young demographic, the United States government has cracked down on this method of advertising and banned flavoured electronic cigarettes.

Flavor bans and their drawbacks

One analysis of survey responses from people who had tried electronic cigarettes found that smokers cited preference for e-cigarette flavour as the primary factor in their decision to switch. The 15-24 age group rated the device’s external packaging and design features as more important than internal functionality. The results of this study indicate that factors other than flavour play a larger role in enticing young people to try e-cigarettes. We were all once young, and if something is illegal, that’s all the more incentive for a daring, defiant youth to try it out!

If people are unable to buy flavoured goods, they may try to create their own, which could be dangerous because they may not know which ingredients are safe to use.