“The technique we tried to implement is paying off”

At this year’s Global Forum on Nicotine event in Warsaw, new technologies in the field were discussed. Traditionally, this annual event brings together stakeholders to discuss the latest research and evidence related to nicotine, reducing the harmful effects of smoking and public health. The theme for this year’s edition of the GFN was “Economy, health and reducing the harmful effects of smoking”.

Today’s science is constantly evolving and big companies want to come to adult nicotine users with the best products to reduce the negative effects of smoking and improve public health.

Andrzej Fal is president of the Polish Public Health Society and head of the Department of Allergy, Pulmonary Diseases and Internal Medicine at the Central Clinical Hospital in Warsaw. He was present at the Global Forum on Nicotine congress and gave an interview to the publication Doctorul Zilei in which he spoke about new technologies in the field, as well as the habit of smoking.

Differences between classic and modern

“As far as we know so far, tobacco smoke is the most dangerous substance we produce around us,” emphasizes Andrzej Fal.

“It contains more than 7,000 potentially dangerous substances for our health, and 92 of them have already been classified as carcinogens. So any other alternative that is used like, cigarette replacement therapy or harm reduction therapy results in exposure to much, much less of these compounds.”

See the statements of Mr. Andrzej Fal, President of the Polish Society of Public Health and Head of the Department of Allergy, Pulmonary Diseases and Internal Medicine at the Central Clinical Hospital in Warsaw:

Dr. Fal says that there are many differences between classic cigarettes and the use of devices that heat tobacco and which are based on new technologies in the field:

“So we’re not talking about thousands, but we’re still talking about a few hundred, or we can refer to the lowest level of 20 potentially harmful substances. But you can imagine the ratio between 7000 and 20. So yes, they can be less harmful to our health.”

In everybody’s language

The President of the Polish Society of Public Health spoke about how all this information can be conveyed to the public in as clear and blunt a language as possible in order to make those who cannot escape this vice aware that there are alternatives:

“Well, the usual problem that exists when we’re talking about a substantial subject like scientific knowledge is that you have to translate it for real life,” says Fal in the interview with Doctor of the Day.

Date precise

He also wanted to mention a worrying phenomenon for public health worldwide. It comes with accurate and official data and says that the number of smokers worldwide is increasing:

“We can look at the last decades. In 2015, the World Health Organization stated that there are more than one billion smokers in the world. And this year, the WHO declared that we already have 1 billion 300 million smokers. So the number of cigarette smokers has increased.”

transition

“The transition from classic cigarettes to alternative products must be made, not to increase the number of cigarette smokers”, emphasizes the expert. “Currently, we see habits like vaping or using heated tobacco taking the place of smoking. These habits have become part of the routine of smokers and it is desirable to completely replace a habit like smoking”.

And to make the transition to alternative products possible, he says, citizens also need the support of politicians, decision-makers in terms of taxation.

“And then we will really be able to reduce the negative effects for smokers.”