Scientific Substantiation of the Absence of Combustion in a Novel Heated Tobacco Product

Below is the transcript of the video:

Hello, I am Anca Haiduc. I am an analytical scientist at Philip Morris working in Neuchatel Switzerland. Welcome and thank you for joining me for this presentation in which I will talk about the scientific substantiation of the absence of combustion in a novel heated tobacco product.  

We all know that the toxicants released when combusting tobacco are the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. Heated tobacco products (HTP) are designed to heat the tobacco without combustion, in order to generate nicotine-containing aerosols instead of smoke.

HTPs are a category of products. They use different technologies. They heat at different temperatures, use different tobacco blends and processing methods for the tobacco. Therefore, each product needs to be scientifically assessed. 

The aim of this current presentation is to present evidence that we have generated from the scientific assessment of a new HTP to substantiate the absence of combustion and the significant reduction in the levels of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals, called HPHCs, in this HTP aerosol relative to cigarette smoke.  

This new heated tobacco product or HTP is an electronically heated product that uses an electrically controlled metal pin to heat the tobacco. It has a specifically designed tobacco stick which is inserted in the heating device and the device contains this electronically controlled metal pin that is acting as the heat source for the tobacco.  

In order to substantiate the absence of combustion, the temperature of tobacco was measured at three points. First, the contact point between tobacco and heater, then the farthest end from the pin heater in the tobacco plug, and then the middle point between these two points that we described before.  

Additional tests were performed under oxidative and non-oxidative atmospheres and the chemical analysis of the aerosol was also done, to assess the potential difference in the emissions between these 2 environments. In case of combustion, a difference in the aerosol composition would be measured. 

Finally, a targeted aerosol chemistry analysis was performed in order to evaluate the levels of HPHCs in the generated aerosol in comparison with the smoke generated in the combustion of a 1R6F reference cigarette. The graph shows you the results that we have obtained. So first for the temperature of the tobacco the maximum temperature that was reached by the pin heater is 345 degrees Celsius, well below the level needed for combustion.  

The maximum temperature of the tobacco reached 309 degrees Celsius, at the point of contact with the pin heater, and then it decreased with increasing distance from the pin. The observed drop of the temperature during puffs is an additional confirmation that no self-sustained combustion occurs. It is also interesting to note that as soon as the heating source is turned off the tobacco cooled rapidly. In addition, the tobacco is not consumed, and no smoke or ash are formed.  

The second part is the results obtained under the oxidative and non-oxidative atmosphere. It can be seen from the table that the aerosol composition under these two environments is not changing, demonstrating that oxygen is not playing any significant role. The levels of CO, NO, and NOx are the same in the aerosol generated under these two atmospheres and they are massively inferior to the levels found in cigarette smoke.  

Overall, this demonstrates that oxygen does not play an important role in the functioning of this novel heated tobacco product.  

For the third part, we will look at the aerosol chemistry that was obtained on this product. A targeted aerosol chemistry analysis was performed to evaluate the levels of HPHCs emitted by the electronically heated novel tobacco product in comparison to the reference cigarette smoke. This analysis showed significantly lower levels of all measured HPHCs in this novel tobacco product aerosol compared to reference cigarette smoke. 

To conclude, the evidence presented here scientifically substantiates that there is no combustion occurring in this new heated tobacco product. The main findings of the studies are the following: 

• - The maximum temperatures reached in the device are far below the temperature at which tobacco ignites 

• - The composition of the aerosol generated is similar in the presence and absence of oxygen under oxidative and non-oxidative atmosphere.  

By heating the tobacco instead of burning it, the HTP emits an aerosol with significantly reduced levels of HPHCs relative to cigarette smoke. 

Thank you for joining me today I hope you enjoyed my presentation.