Smoking has been one of the habits that some people can’t live without. However, excessive smoking, as known to many, could lead to multiple health complications such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and many more.
It’s quite impossible as well for a chain-smoker to quit his/her smoking habit unless he/she is highly determined to do so. For those who find it too difficult to get their cigarette buds out of their hands, Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) is introduced to lower the health risks of individuals and wider society by using less harmful products.
So, how do you think that THR could combat smoking? Easily said, it involves modern smokeless tobacco products, including the use of alternative sources of nicotine. THR measures are implemented into reducing or eliminating the use of combustible tobacco. This is done by switching to other nicotine products. To emphasise more on the importance of switching to THR for a less-harmful smoking option, we shall look into the effects of tar, nicotine, and combustion on an individual through smoking.
Burning tobacco which leaves toxic chemical particles is known as cigarette tar. It damages your lungs by narrowing the tubes that absorb oxygen which could lead to a range of lung diseases, if left unnoticed.
Nicotine is addictive and it has higher chances of contributing to an increase in blood pressure, and heart rate. In addition, nicotine will also stay in a person’s body for six to eight hours depending on the regularity of the smoking.
Combustion, on the other hand, is the combination of tobacco (fuel) and oxygen in the air. It consumes tobacco to generate a self-sustaining combustion process. It results in the production of many toxic chemical particles found in cigarette smoke, which is generally injurious to health.
Looking at the negative impacts of smoking, Heat-Not-Burn (HNB) Technology or smoke-free alternatives are used as a tool to achieve THR. One of the smoke-free alternatives is known as the heated tobacco product (HTP), but it is not the same as a vape, thus it is not categorised as e-cigarettes. This is because HTPs are electronic devices that heat the tobacco to release vapour that contains nicotine. The tobacco will be heated below 350℃, whereas traditional cigarettes combust and burn up to 900℃. Thus, HTPs do not release any harmful smoke that contains chemical particles.
Let’s take a look at a chart where the searches for Heat-Not-Burn products are increasing tremendously in one of the biggest countries in Asia, Japan. It shows that more and more people are getting to know the better method of smoking through the Heat-Not-Burn products. It was even reported that queries for Heat-Not-Burn products continued to grow an additional 100% compared to previous years.
Therefore, by adopting the Tobacco Harm Reduction approach and switching to HNB products, smokers who are unwilling to quit cigarettes are able to enjoy nicotine in a less harmful way by switching from combustible cigarettes to heated tobacco products. The final goal of HTP is to provide a better and less-harmful smoking experience by being a less harmful and smokeless alternative for smokers. It’s always far better to use HTP for smokers who decided to enjoy nicotine.
Do you think smokers should switch from combustible cigarettes to HNB products that do not release any cigarette smoke? Do share your thoughts with me!
Bagus post ni. Mereka yang telah lama merokok ni akan menyempitkan paru2. Sebagai contoh bapa sis dulu, paru2 sempit walaupun dah lama berhenti merokok. Tahu pun sebab masa sakit, kena pakai oksigen. Kesannya sangat teruk. Oleh itu berhentilah merokok....
ReplyDeleteYa, betul kata kak...baik berhenti merokok sebelum sakit serius..
DeleteThanks so much for sharing this detailed informative piece about tobacco harms, learnt so much more from my reading here. Cheers Siennylovesdrawing
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome, it's my pleasure to enlighten my readers.
Deletebanyak info ttg rokok.. input yg bgs terutama apabila kita boleh mengetahui ttg kesannya
ReplyDeleteBetul tu.
DeleteMemang susah yang merokok ni nak berhenti merokok. Kalau nak berhenti pun, memang betul2 ada niat nak berhenti. Banyak sekrng produk bagi nak berhenti merokok, hanya si perokok tu yang perlu buat keputusan. Takutnya bila bab paru2 tu la. Asap masuk salma badan dan effect dalam
ReplyDeleteYa, betul tu. Apa-apa pun perokok tu yang kena ambil inisiatif untuk berhenti merokok.
Deletevery informative post, thanks for sharing. im gonna share your input with smokers within my family.
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome. Hope it helps.
DeleteI agree with you that it is quite impossible for a chain-smoker to quit his/her smoking habit unless he/she is highly determined to do so. Most of those whom I knew started with peer pressure and following the steps of their older generation within the family. I sincerely hope that all smokers will think about othere whenever they wanna puff out some smoke.
ReplyDeleteYes, I hope the same for all the smokers.
DeleteYeah! i agree with this, there are more subtle way to gradually reduce smoking
ReplyDeleteI know right!
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