E-cigarette is Less Harmful than Heated Tobacco Products and Tabacco Cigarettes

The vaping products and more recently the heated tobacco products (HTP) provide alternatives for smokers since they are generally perceived to be less harmful than conventional cigarettes. However, it is crucial to compare the health risks of these different emergent devices, in order to determine which product should be preferred to substitute cigarette.

 The researchers found that HTP emitted less polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and carbonyls than the conventional cigarette. However, amounts of these compounds in HTP aerosols were still higher than in electronic cigarette vapours. Concordantly, HTP aerosol showed reduced cytotoxicity compared to cigarette smoke but higher than e-cigarette vapours. HTP and e-cigarette had the potential to increase oxidative stress and inflammatory response, in a manner similar to that of cigarette smoke, but after more intensive exposures. In addition, increasing e-cigarette power impacted levels of certain toxic compounds and related oxidative stress. The study provides important data necessary for risk assessment by demonstrating that HTP might be less harmful than tobacco cigarette but considerably more harmful than e-cig.