The Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection informs the population about the emergence and promotion on the Moldovan market of non-electrically heated tobacco products iQOS (Electrically Heated Tobacco Product - EHTR), manufactured by Philip Morris Manufacturing & Technology, , which are harmful and present a danger to human health and life.

The iQOS device is an electronic system that heats the tobacco bars up to 350 C, with a 600 C lower temperature compared to regular cigarette burning using a closed heating system. In the process of heating, it produces nicotine and tar containing vapors, containing most of the health-damaging substances, including carcinogens, similar to those of the burning tobacco.

New non-burning tobacco products also contain non-tobacco additives that cause addiction to tobacco products as well as other chemicals contained in tobacco and added additives.

Please note that there is currently no evidence to show that iQOS EHTR products are less harmful than ordinary cigarettes and that their consumption presents a low risk to the health of consumers.

At the same time, the results of the laboratory investigations carried out by the Philip Morris Technology and Ooperations Testing Laboratories Governance Laboratory during 2016-2018 on smoking-generated aerosol, new non-burning Tobacco Product Brands placed on the HEETS Amber Label, HEETS Yellow Label and HEETS Turquoise Label, found the content of nicotine in their emissions of 0.47-0.49 mg per stick, the tar - 4.3-5.3 mg per stick and carbon monoxide - 0.2 mg per stick.

For comparison, in different brands of regular cigarette cigarettes, the nicotine content ranges from 0.01 to 0.9 mg per piece, tar - 0.5 to 10 mg per piece, and carbon monoxide 0.5-10 , 0 mg per piece.

Thus, the smoke-free emissions of non-EHTR smoking tobacco smoke brands are within limits that also exist in cigarettes consumed through a combustion process and as a result could generate the same health effects.

In this context, we believe that further long-term studies are needed to see how EQTR iQOS products are acting on health and which would justify their risk claims and reduced harm.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), all forms of tobacco use are harmful, including the use of EQTR iQOS products, tobacco being inherently toxic and containing carcinogens even in its natural form. The WHO therefore recommends that new products be subject to policies and regulations with similar measures applied to all other tobacco products, in line with the provisions of the World Health Organization's Tobacco Control Framework Convention (FCTC).