Currently, heat not burn stick (HNB stick), a revolutionary product in the tobacco industry, attracts an increasing group of smokers. No burning, this product has 90% harm reduction and no tobacco ash while maintaining the same taste as traditional cigarettes. These characteristics make this product popular in the market. However, with the increasingly strict tobacco regulation, the safety of HNB stick has attracted massive international attention. Are HNB products safe to use?
We first need to understand how HNB works to figure out this question.
How does HNB work?
Generally, HNB tobacco products use special heating devices to heat the processed tobacco to a certain temperature instead of combusting it. There are mainly three heating methods available for HNB: Central heating has high heat efficiency and good thermal insulation. Ring heating can heat a large area while keeping high heat transfer efficiency. Composite heating has a relatively uniform heating effect and high heat transfer area, which can effectively reduce the heating temperature and improve the thermal insulation and endurance of the smoking devices. Most upgraded HNB smoking devices are adopting composite heating.
A comparatively low degree of thermal cracking occurs at around 300℃ (the particular temperature at which the tobacco is heated varies depending on the product). How to check and control the relatively high heating temperature of HNB? For most HNB devices, the heating temperature can generally be set, which is monitored by temperature control methods. At present, the temperature of electronic cigarettes is usually estimated by calculating the resistance of the heating wire through the host chip. Another frequently-used method is to attach temperature-sensitive protection components to control the temperature of PCB boards, MOS tubes, and batteries.
Is HNB safe?
Since the HNB stick has gradually become a popular cigarette alternative, some people doubt if HNB product is safe. Here we are going to discuss this question from two aspects:
First of all, from a technology standpoint, the working logic of HNB products is very simple. By heating the specific tobacco in the cartridge to a specific temperature, HND devices produce smoke for inhalation. Traditional cigarettes are lit at an extremely high temperature above 600℃. In the process of smoking, cigarettes are burned and produce a large number of harmful gases to human body. At the same time, cigarettes also produce carbon monoxide due to incomplete combustion, which is proven to be toxic to the human body. In short, compared with traditional cigarettes, HBN is relatively safe in terms of reducing harmful gas generation.
Secondly, the safety of HNB products is related to different HNB heat sticks. At present, there are two types of HNB sticks on the market: tobacco-containing heat sticks and tobacco-free heat sticks. Tobacco-containing heatsticks are similar to traditional tobacco containing nicotine, which can provide the real smoke flavor and throat sensation. The main difference between tobacco-free heatsticks and traditional tobacco is that heatsticks with multiple processing techniques can emit smoke similar to traditional tobacco during the heating process for people to smoke.
Although smoking by using HNB heatsticks can reduce the inhalation of chemicals produced by combustion, heatsticks containing nicotine are still harmful to health. It is recommended to use herbal heatsticks, which contain natural ingredients such as tea leaves, licorice, and other nicotine-free heat sticks. Some industry insiders believe heatsticks that do not contain nicotine are absolutely safe for humans. Moreover, these herbal heasticks are considered to have certain health benefits and promote metabolism. NIOO, the leading brand in the tobacco industry, has launched its herbal heatsticks. They are tobacco-free and made of natural tea leaves, which are healthier for people.
Except for the security issue, there are many interesting facts you need to know about HNB products!
Who is using HNB sticks?
1. Old smokers who have to quit smoking: Such smokers generally have been smoking for years. They are recommended to quit smoking due to their poor health conditions. However, it’s not an easy task. To achieve the goal step by step, they can use HNB products to gradually quit smoking.
2. Young groups: Young people who catch up with the trends are willing to try new things. For newer smokers who are not heavily dependent on cigarettes, it is relatively easy to accept this new type of tobacco product.
What is the distinction between HNB and conventional electronic cigarettes?
Like HNB products, e-cigarettes do not burn tobacco or create smoke. In fact, both HNB products and e-cigarettes do not even contain tobacco, which greatly reduces the harm to smokers. Although e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, they heat a nicotine-containing e-liquid to produce an aerosol, which is known as vapor. HNB products use real tobacco to heat, providing a similar flavor to traditional cigarettes.
What technical points are mainly involved in HNB products?
The main technical points involved in HNB products are heat sources, heating devices, temperature control systems, tobacco formulations and materials, additives, adsorbents, and overall structural design. The core technology of HNB products is mainly reflected in tobacco formulations and materials, overall product structure design, and heating devices.
What is the relationship between Heat Not Burn (HNB) and Novel Tobacco Products (NTP)?
New Tobacco Product (NTP) is an emerging strategic product of the tobacco industry that conforms to the general trend of individualized, diverse, and quality consumption upgrades, including electronic cigarettes, HNB products, smoke-free tobacco products, etc.
How to buy HNB products?
Different areas have different regulations and policies. Some areas are restricted to the purchase of e-cigarettes. So before you buy, please ensure that HNB products are legal to sell in your country. Taking Japan and NIOO herbal heatsticks as an example, people can find it in 7-Eleven, Lido, Family Mart, Circle K, and many other retail stores and supermarkets. In addition, e-commerce platforms may provide information about HNB products, and you can buy different kinds of HNB sticks online.