IQOS, electronics, vapes and cigarettes: everything you need to know about them

One of the first trips of Christopher Columbus to the New World ended with his acquaintance with smoking. It was in Cuba that he saw how the locals set fire to the leaves of a plant in a pipe. The process aroused his interest, and soon the Europeans became addicted to smoking.

Until the 21st century, the traditions of tobacco use remained unchanged: cigarettes and cigars were made from it, but in 2002 the situation changed dramatically. In search of healthier smoking, the first electronic cigarette was created. Its development is credited to the Chinese scientist Hong Lik, who himself was a passionate smoker and was looking for a way to reduce the harm from his habit. Before him, an American, Herbert Gilbert, was involved in the development of electronic cigarettes. But since he did not patent his product, the primacy is still given to the Chinese.

But the progress in smoking did not stop there, and already in 2007 vapes appeared. They were distinguished by advanced functionality, increased size for the sake of a more powerful battery and tank capacity. Such devices allow you to adjust the heating temperature and the amount of steam, change the ratio of ingredients in the dressing. A sub-culture of vaping has emerged, although it’s hard to call them a convenient gadget.

To replace electronic cigarettes and vapes in 2014, Philip Morris International presented IQOS, an innovative electronic device that works on the principle of heating tobacco up to 350 degrees. According to the manufacturer himself, this technology significantly reduces the negative effects of smoking, because harmful substances appear only when it is ignited.

But is everything so unambiguous, and how much less harm from electronic devices for smokers, is worth understanding.

Why smoking is a bad habit

A hundred years ago, smoking was considered an attribute of luxury. Not everyone could afford to buy cigarettes of world famous tobacco brands, so they remained popular among the rich and influential people. Over time, tobacco companies began to produce more series – both exclusive and budget, and the habit of smoking spread among the common population.

In 1962, British scientists were the first to prove the relationship between cigarette smoking and the development of certain diseases. And three years later, Britain banned cigarette ads on television. But this was only the beginning, because in 2003, manufacturers were required to indicate the dangers of smoking on packs of tobacco products. Today, the campaign to combat this bad habit continues around the world.

Smoking negatively affects both the physical health of a person and his psycho-emotional state. Neither should be ignored. According to WHO, tobacco chemicals cause at least 25 diseases, harming the entire body at the same time. ^[1]. There is not a single system or organ that does not suffer from smoking.

Digestive tract. The negative impact of smoking begins already in the oral cavity. A smoker’s gums often ache, bleed, and become swollen, and plaque and inflammation of the tissues around the tooth root can cause the gums to recede at its base. Over time, the teeth are destroyed, the taste perception of food changes. And the worst thing is that because of the carcinogenicity of cigarettes, there is a high risk of developing cancer of the oral cavity – on the lips, inside of the cheek, tongue, throat, pharynx or tonsils. A smoker can have no less problems with the stomach, liver, and pancreas. The connection between cigarette smoking and gastric and duodenal ulcers has been proven. Tobacco smoke irritates the mucous membrane, stimulating the secretion of gastric juice, which can cause the development of gastritis. In addition, it inhibits the motility of the stomach, so there are problems with digestion. Smokers often have an enlarged liver, and the risk of developing a malignant tumor in the pancreas is twice as high as non-smokers. ^[2].

Airways. Fans of this habit often suffer from chronic diseases of the bronchi, larynx, pharynx and lungs. This is explained by the fact that tobacco smoke has an irritating effect, because of which saliva and mucus begin to be abundantly released. Accumulating in certain areas, they cause a cough reflex. And it can happen constantly, turning into a chronic state. In addition, the smoke emitted during the ignition of tobacco contains substances that lead to hypertrophy of the mucous membranes of the glands, bronchospasm and a decrease in the resistance of human lungs to infectious diseases. Smoking causes oxygen deprivation. Lungs of a young smoker can look like those of an elderly person, studies show ^[3].

Organs of blood circulation and cardiovascular system. Among the patients of cardiologists and neurologists, smokers are often found, and nicotine is to blame for everything. It is he who causes vasospasm, disrupts blood circulation, resulting in an increase in blood viscosity, atherosclerotic plaques are formed. All this becomes the cause of blood clots with subsequent blockage of blood vessels or the occurrence of a stroke. At the same time, the smoker’s heart also suffers, because when smoking, adrenaline is released, which increases the oxygen demand of the heart muscle. ^[4].

The reproductive system of men and women. And if in the first case the negative impact of a bad habit is more directed to potency, female representatives who smoke may experience changes in the reproductive system. Tobacco smoke contains about fifty toxic substances, and all of them enter the body at the same time. As the duration of smoking increases, toxins accumulate in the ovaries of a woman, so not only can she face infertility, but her children will be born unhealthy. Australian scientists have been studying the effects of substances from tobacco smoke on children in the first years of life for three years. As it turned out, the development of the ovaries slowed down in girls, and the eggs matured much later than the onset of reproductive age. Smoking is especially dangerous in the first trimester of pregnancy, when most organs and systems are formed. Until the 16th week, the placenta is not yet formed, therefore it is not able to become a protective shield against the action of tobacco toxins. A smoking pregnant woman has a high probability of giving birth to a child with pathologies: cleft palate, cleft lip, dysfunction of the nervous system or brain. ^[5]

Appearance. When smoking tobacco, the body receives less oxygen, so the skin tone becomes grayish, wrinkles appear on it, and the aging process occurs faster. This is especially noticeable in female smokers, who almost always have bags under their eyes and dull skin. And if we add to this the unpleasant aroma of smoke from the mouth, hands, hair, then we should not talk about the attractiveness of the image. Of course, if you replace ordinary cigarettes with electronic ones – vapes, aikos, there will be no smell of smoke, but the negative impact on beauty will still remain.

How smoking affects the psycho-emotional state

Many smokers find cigarettes to be a way to calm their nerves. In fact, they are deceiving themselves. Every cigarette smoked is a direct path to depression, anxiety, irritability. And the “calmness” that they feel is connected with something completely different. When ingested, nicotine acts on our brain in the following ways:

• constricts the vessels of the brain, although initially their expansion occurs. Such an antispasmodic effect of this substance leads to oxygen starvation, headaches, memory impairment and mental clarity;
• changes the mechanism of production of dopamine – a neurotransmitter responsible for a person’s feelings of joy. With constant smoking in stressful situations, the brain perceives this as a signal to release dopamine and allow the body to calm down, relax, and get rid of anxiety. As a result, there is no feeling of pleasure without tobacco products, which is why nicotine addiction is formed;
• slows down the transmission of nerve impulses, reducing the bioelectrical activity of the brain. Because of this, smoking fans need more time to assimilate information, memorize, so intellectual work becomes harder for them. ^[6].

Of course, all these changes in the psyche do not occur after the first cigarette, but after 2-3 years of regular ingestion of nicotine. Often a bad habit, as a tribute to fashion, facilitating communication with peers, is formed in adolescence, and by adulthood, the effect of smoking on the psycho-emotional state is felt.

Manufacturers of electronic devices claim that vapes, IQOS, e-cigarettes are an alternative to traditional cigarettes, safer for health. But at the same time, they are in no hurry to clarify that nicotine is also present in the gas station that is used in such a gadget, which means that it has a detrimental effect on both physical health and the human psyche. By quitting smoking, you can prevent all the negative consequences and restore your health.

However, it is impossible not to recall a few examples when smoking did not particularly affect either the physical or psychological health of a person. This is more of an exception than the rule, though. One of the phenomenal smokers was Jeanne Calment, who died at the age of 120, 95 of which she was accompanied by smoking. Having quit smoking only at the age of 117 due to poor eyesight, because she could not light a cigarette on her own, and was embarrassed to ask others. But it should be noted: the Frenchwoman Kalman smoked only two pieces a day, while she went in for sports, ate vegetables, fruits and loved wine. ^[7].

Why do people start smoking

In the 21st century, perhaps, there is no person who does not know about the dangers of smoking. Knowledge can be both general and deeper, but even this does not always help get rid of the habit. And it often starts with just one cigarette. And the reasons why teenagers or adults try to smoke can be drastically different:

1. Interest. The craving for smoking for the sake of interest is inherent primarily in adolescents. It is they who, in the period of transition from childhood to adulthood, want to try everything new. In addition, smoking is something that parents do not approve of, and internal protest becomes the driving force that attracts them to the “forbidden fruit”. Of course, not everyone continues to smoke, because neither the process itself, nor the taste in the mouth after cigarettes, nor the smell of smoke is not the most pleasant accompaniment to smoking. But many teenagers succumb to addiction and carry it into adulthood.
2. Imitation. As they say: no matter how much you raise a child, he will still behave like you. It’s the same with smoking – parents can talk every day about the dangers of cigarettes, but do not quit them themselves, and it is likely that their children will also start smoking in adolescence or even adulthood. Often, teenagers imitate the behavior of not only their parents, but also teachers, older comrades. Although adults are less influenced by someone else’s example, there are also cases of their imitation of famous people, movie heroes or authoritative colleagues.
3. Impact of advertising campaigns. In most countries, advertising of tobacco products in the media is prohibited, but this does not mean at all that tobacco manufacturers do not use covert channels to remind them of cigarettes. And although not everyone is amenable to influence, but there are those who start smoking, paying attention to just such tricks.
4. Myths about smoking. There is a lot of information about the dangers of smoking in the public domain, so everyone can find out why this habit is bad. But there are still erroneous opinions that cigarettes can help you lose weight, relieve stress and reduce fatigue. ^[8]. This is self-deception, but by the time the smoker realizes this, it is often too late. It’s not easy to just give up bad habits.

Is there a safe alternative to cigarettes?

The safest option is not to smoke at all. But if we consider the habit of smoking from the point of view of the least harm to the body, then it is worth remembering: the manufacturers of IQOS and vapes claim that several times less toxic substances are released during their use. But is it really so, it is worth considering in more detail.

Initially, it is important to understand the difference between a vape and an IQOS. In the first version, there is no tobacco, and the dressing, which is heated and must be inhaled, is made on the basis of propylene glycol, glycerin and aromatic substances. IQOS according to its principle of action is the same cigarette, but tobacco does not burn in it, but heats up. It would seem that this is good, since the smoker does not inhale resins with toxic substances, but nicotine, the negative effect of which has already been mentioned above, enters the body. This means that it affects all organs and systems. But this is not the only harm that IQOS fans receive. As shown by independent studies by several scientists in the world at once, when smoking in this way:

• the circulatory system reacts to tobacco in exactly the same way as when it is set on fire, so the harm is not much less;
• about 60 toxic substances are released, and not just 10, as the manufacturer claims. One of them, formaldehyde cyanohydrin, is toxic even in small amounts. But it is he who is released when the plastic filter is heated. Acetylacetone, diacetyl, hydroxymethylfurfural, diethylhexyl phthalate are also harmful to the body. The latter is completely classified as a carcinogen;
• passive smokers inhale toxic substances – those who are nearby, because the vapors emanating from IQOS contain only 16% less poisons than cigarette smoke ^[9].

How serious is the problem of smoking in the world: figures and data

In 2018, WHO published statistics on the number of smokers worldwide. As it turned out, for 7,5 billion people there is a whole billion fans of this bad habit. The number is huge, because every year they smoke almost 6 billion cigarettes, throwing away a million cigarette butts made of cellulose acetate, which does not decompose for centuries. Thus, smoking harms not only the person, but also the environment. ^[10].

The number of smokers in each country is different. Most people smoke cigarettes, surprisingly, in China – a third of WHO statistics belongs to them. In second and third place are India and Indonesia. A little less, namely about 47 billion smokers live in the United States of America, in fifth and sixth – Russia and Pakistan. The top ten also includes Japan and Brazil.

If we look at the statistics by age, then the data will not be positive either – approximately 38 million adolescents (13-15 years old) around the world regularly smoke cigarettes. About 60% of smokers are people under the age of 45, which is also not at all encouraging.

How smoking promotion works

Despite the fight against smoking in most countries of the world, the number of smokers is decreasing very slowly, and in some countries it is even increasing.

This is how tobacco promotion works, because it is beneficial for companies that produce cigarettes, IQOS, vapes to have many fans of this bad habit. Their desire is logical: more smokers – more profits.

Smoking is not promoted openly because it is punishable. But the mention of cigarettes in songs, films works no worse than advertising on television. You can see the main character with tobacco products in such famous films as “Basic Instinct”, “Fight Club”, TV series “Sex and the City”, “The X-Files”. Even the animated series “The Simpsons” did not remain “overboard” of propaganda. And although a lot of bans have appeared in recent years, the modern film industry uses the image of its heroes with a cigarette. Some countries already have a ban on showing them without a smoking label. This should be the minimum that will help overcome the global smoking pandemic.

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