IQOS Science and Heat-not-Burn Technology

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We believe in science. We believe it can change the lives of millions of smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke. To this effect, we recruited scientists to work on an important idea: developing less harmful products that cigarette smokers can switch to if they don’t quit. Hundreds of scientists and engineers at PMI’s global Research and Development centres in Switzerland and Singapore have developed and evaluated IQOS, an innovative electronic device that heats and not burns tobacco. It produces a tobacco vapour that delivers tobacco taste and nicotine.

IQOS has gone through robust scientific assessments, including, to-date, 18 non-clinical and 10 clinical studies involving thousands of participants.

IQOS emits on average 95% lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.* Do you want to find out why we can conclude this? Learn more about some of the key pieces of scientific evidence on IQOS.

Important information: It does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk. IQOS is not risk-free.

* Reductions in levels of a range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to the smoke of a reference cigarette.

Based on scientific studies conducted with manufacturer's heated tobacco units designed for IQOS.

Technology – the world revolves around it. Over the years, it has radically changed our lives for the better. The way we work, the way we communicate, the way we travel. By combining science and technology is how we developed a better alternative to continued smoking.

IQOS heats tobacco instead of burning it for a simple reason: the burning of tobacco emits high amounts of harmful chemicals like carbon monoxide.

IQOS ILUMA SMARTCORE INDUCTION™ technology and IQOS HeatControl™ technology prevent tobacco from burning, which means they significantly reduce the number and level of harmful chemicals emitted compared to cigarette smoke.

Cigarettes burn tobacco, reaching high temperatures, and producing ash, tar, and smoke with high number and levels of harmful chemicals. Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of over 6000 chemical substances, around 100 of which have been linked to smoking-related diseases by public health authorities.

IQOS ILUMA SMARTCORE INDUCTION SYSTEM™ technology and IQOS HeatControl™ technology heat tobacco to a lower temperature, ensuring that combustion does not occur. Because there is no combustion, IQOS does not produce smoke. It generates a tobacco vapour that emits on average 95% lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.*

Important information: it does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk. IQOS is not risk-free.

* Reductions in levels of a range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to the smoke of a reference cigarette. Based on scientific studies conducted with manufacturer's heated tobacco units designed for IQOS.

Tar is the residue from smoke after a cigarette has burned. IQOS does not produce tar because it heats tobacco instead of burning it. It generates an aerosol residue that is fundamentally different from tar and consists of significantly lower levels of harmful chemicals.*

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The absence of tar does not mean that IQOS is risk-free. IQOS provides nicotine which is addictive

*Average reductions in the levels of a range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to cigarette smoke.

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Tobacco vapour vs smoke

IQOS tobacco vapour is less harmful than cigarette smoke. To demonstrate this, we conducted a comprehensive assessment program that included 10 clinical studies on aerosol chemistry (as well as data from 18 non-clinical studies), and involved thousands of participants in the US, Japan, UK and Poland. Evidence demonstrates that switching completely to IQOS, while not risk-free, presents less risk of harm compared with continuing to smoke cigarettes.

Cigarettes burn tobacco, which produces high amounts of carbon monoxide. IQOS doesn’t burn tobacco, producing on average 98% less carbon monoxide (CO) and significantly lower levels of other harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.*

Important information: This does not mean a 98% reduction in risk. IQOS is not risk-free, and delivers nicotine which is addictive.

*Source: We measured the levels of certain harmful chemicals prioritised for reporting by renowned public health organisations, and these are reduced on average by 95% compared to the smoke of a cigarette (nicotine excluded).

Based on scientific studies conducted with manufacturer's heated tobacco units designed for IQOS.

Over 16,7 million adult smokers in the world have stopped burning tobacco and started heating it with IQOS*. Discover more about our scientific assessment programme.

Discover more

IQOS is not risk-free and delivers nicotine, which is addictive. The best decision any smoker can make is to quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether.

*Source: PMI Financials or estimates, IQOS user panels and PMI Market Research. Status as of December 2020. IQOS users who have completely quit cigarettes and for whom PMI heated tobacco units represent at least 70% of their past 7-day heated tobacco consumption.

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The science and vision behind IQOS

Science behind heated tobacco

Tested to the highest standards

Why heating is better

Heating technology

Cigarettes produce tar, IQOS doesn't

IQOS emits less harmful chemicals than cigarettes

Important information: This does not mean a 98% reduction in risk. IQOS is not risk-free, and delivers nicotine which is addictive.

Switching to IQOS

IQOS Research

Products

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