Tobacco harm reduction potential for ‘heat not burn’
Newer devices that use HNB technology ought to be included in the category of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), a class that also includes nicotine vaporizers, vape pens, hookah pens, electronic cigarettes and e-pipes. Despite significant evidence that all of these various products are significantly less harmful than traditional combustible cigarettes, the goal of advancing a consistent public-health message urging a harm-reduction approach to tobacco use has been hampered by longstanding biases of the public-health community, evolving understanding of teen exposure and concerns about residual health risks.
Experts agree in principle that moving current smokers to products with lower risk profiles could save millions of lives. E-cigarettes have been quite popular among smokers, especially those who intend to quit. However, most of the 36.5 million remaining U.S. smokers reject e-cigarettes as unsatisfying. HNB technologies could allow a larger fraction of current smokers to practice tobacco harm reduction.
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