By Yemi Olakitan
The health effects of air pollution depend on the type of pollutant, the time and intensity of exposure, and other factors, such as an individual’s health risks and the cumulative effects of various pollutants or stressors.
In 2021, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) reported that over 22,500 children perished in the state due to air pollution.
This investigation focused solely on children, however many adults may have also perished due to air pollution in the state.
According to the World Health Organization, there will still be over a billion smokers in 2025.
Given the number of individuals who choose to smoke, it only makes reasonable that they have access to reliable information about healthier alternatives to cigarettes that could protect them from disease. Why would anyone disagree with them?
Mojisola Akpata, Director of External Affairs for Philip Morris International in Nigeria, said at a media session organised by Philip Morris International in Lagos on Saturday that tobacco smoking is illegal in many nations throughout the world. She explained that Nigeria, for instance, has not issued a tobacco manufacturing licence in the preceding two decades. She added that tobacco businesses are prohibited from advertising.
She believed that a considerable public health benefit could only be realised if a large number of these smokers switched to better products or quit smoking altogether.Therefore, Philip Morris International declared its intent to replace cigarettes with the smoke-free goods it is now developing and selling. Saturday, at a press conference in Lagos, the company presented its mission to promote clean air and healthy living with its smoke-free products that emit nicotine-containing tobacco vapour without combustion or smoke.
According to research, heating tobacco releases tastes and nicotine, allowing adult smokers to consume tobacco without igniting it. As a result of extensive research and development, heated tobacco products no longer burn the tobacco, but rather heat it using an electrically controlled heater.
There have been manufactured nicotine-containing vapor-producing tobacco-free products.
Mr. Tommaso Di Giovanni, Vice President of Market Activation & Support at Philip Morris International, explained to journalists at the interactive media session in Lagos that instead of heating tobacco to release tobacco flavours and nicotine, the product heats an e-liquid containing nicotine (extracted from tobacco leaves) and flavours with an electric heater to produce e-vapor.
“The smoke-free product portfolio of Philip Morris International includes four platforms in various phases of development and commercialization. “These smoke-free goods are currently available in 70 marketplaces in major metropolitan areas or nationwide.
PMI forecasts that as of June 30, 2022, roughly 13.2 million adults worldwide, excluding Russia and Ukraine, had already switched to IQOS and quit smoking. IQOS user metrics reflect PMI estimates, which are derived from consumer claims and sample-based statistical evaluations with an average margin of error of +/- 5% at a 95% Confidence Interval in key volume markets. According to Tommaso Di Giovanni, the best option for smokers is to quit nicotine and tobacco products entirely. Nonetheless, many do not. There are better alternatives for adult smokers who might otherwise continue smoking. This is an example of tobacco harm reduction.
‘‘It is a well-established truth that smoking cigarettes is dangerous and causes significant diseases. However, not everyone knows why. A smoker ignites a cigarette, initiating a high-temperature chemical reaction known as combustion or burning.
“The smoker inhales through the lit cigarette for a certain number of puffs, until the tobacco leaves and paper are entirely consumed, leaving only ash. The combustion of tobacco yields a complicated combination known as smoke. Cigarette smoke contains tobacco blend flavours as well as nicotine found naturally in tobacco leaves. Consumers enjoy these components of the smoke while smoking.
However, the same burning process that releases tobacco tastes and nicotine also produces over 6,000 compounds, of which over 100 have been recognised as causes or possible causes of smoking-related disorders like as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and emphysema. There are non-tobacco alternatives to continuous smoking that are preferable for individuals who do not quit,” he explained.
Numerous media attended the interactive session and asked numerous questions on the topic, to which the panellists responded in diverse ways. Other speakers at the events include: – Dr. Tendai Mhizha, Author, Public Speaker, and Strategy Lecturer – Integra Africa – Mojisola Akpata, Director of Environmental Affairs in Nigeria for Philip Morris International – Okechukwu Aguoru, General Manager Nigeria, Philip Morris International
During the media event, it was highlighted that because the combustion of tobacco produces so many toxic chemicals, PMI tasked its scientists and engineers with finding alternative ways to provide flavour and nicotine to users.
The company emphasised to the media that, after years of research and development, it has created a new class of revolutionary products that do not rely on the idea of combustion and are, in its opinion, a far superior alternative to smoking.
Since none of these products burn tobacco, they do not achieve the high temperatures required for combustion and smoke production. Instead, we have discovered a number of techniques to make a tasty nicotine-containing aerosol that consumers can inhale, but which has far fewer hazardous chemicals than cigarette smoke.
Although smoke-free alternatives are not risk-free, it is recognised that the bulk of dangerous compounds in cigarette smoke arise from tobacco combustion. This smoke comprises a multitude of toxic and potentially toxic components. You can drastically reduce the quantities of several of these toxins by eliminating the burning.
Our scientifically-supported products assist adult smokers who might otherwise continue smoking with a superior alternative to cigarettes. Our smoke-free goods are not sold to minors, nonsmokers, or ex-smokers. Our message is clear: If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you smoke, quit. If you don’t quit, change.”
Numerous studies have indicated that electronic cigarettes generate much less biological reactions related with heart and lung problems than traditional cigarettes.
As a result, E-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular as a possible replacement to cigarettes.
According to Dr. Julia Hoeng, Director of Systems Toxicology at Philip Morris International, scientific evidence demonstrates that switching to e-cigarettes is a vastly preferable alternative to continuing to smoke.
Although a significant UK clinical investigation published in 2019 determined that these alternative products are not entirely risk-free, they pose a tiny fraction of the dangers of cigarettes!
According to research, electronic cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most dangerous components of tobacco smoke. The liquid and vapour contain certain potentially dangerous compounds found at far lower concentrations in cigarette smoke.Dr. Tendai Mhizha, Author, Public Speaker, and Lecturer in Strategy at Integra Africa, presented a paper on disinformation and misinformation, while Okechukwu Aguoru, General Manager Nigeria, Philip Morris International, and Mr. Aliu Akosile, a veteran journalist, answered various questions from media men.
