By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, April 26: Smoke-free alternatives could significantly reduce exposure to harmful substances by between 90 and 95 per cent on average, and in some cases up to 98 per cent, with oral nicotine products showing reductions of up to 99 per cent compared to conventional cigarette smoke.
Philip Morris Malaysia’s Scientific Engagement Manager Dr Vijayndhran Balakrishnan said the findings are based on scientific comparisons between smoke-free products and combustible cigarettes.
He explained that the primary driver of smoking-related harm is combustion, which occurs when tobacco is burned and produces smoke containing more than 6,000 chemicals, including hundreds of harmful and carcinogenic substances.
“When you burn a cigarette, you get smoke and ash. That combustion process is what generates most of the harmful chemicals associated with smoking-related diseases,” he said when speaking during the Sarawak’s Illicit Trade: Drivers, Risks & The Cost of Prohibition Programme organised by DayakDaily, at the Hilton Hotel here yesterday (April 25).
Dr Vijayndhran said smoke-free alternatives are designed to eliminate combustion, thereby reducing exposure to toxic substances found in cigarette smoke.
“In smoke-free alternatives, there is no combustion. Without burning, the levels of harmful constituents are significantly reduced,” he said, adding that this applies across categories such as heated tobacco products, e-vapor or e-cigarettes, and oral nicotine products.
He clarified that heated tobacco products work by heating tobacco without burning it, while e-vapor or vape products contain nicotine in liquid form and do not contain tobacco.
Oral nicotine products, meanwhile, deliver nicotine through pouches placed in the mouth without any combustion process.
Dr Vijayndhran stressed that while these products are not risk-free, scientific assessments and regulatory reviews in various countries have consistently shown a substantial reduction in harmful emissions compared to conventional cigarettes.
He added that such evidence supports ongoing discussions around harm reduction approaches for adult smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit smoking completely.
Dr Vijayndhran Balakrishnan was among the speakers at the programme, alongside Sarawak Royal Malaysian Customs Department’s Deputy Director Abang Zamari Abg Nazarin; Universiti Sains Malaysia’s criminologist at the Centre for Policy Research, Dato Dr P. Sundramoorthy; UKM Medical Centre’s public health specialist in hospital management and health economics, Professor Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh. — DayakDaily
