MANILA, Philippines- Isang komprehensibong komentaryo na ginawa ng isang opisyal ng U.S. Food and Drug Administration sa isang international peer-reviewed publication ang nagrekomenda ng paglipat mula combustible cigarettes sa smoke-free products para bawasan ang exposure ng adult smokers sa maraming toxins at carcinogens.
Dito, ayon sa consumer advocacy groups sa Pilipinas, napatunayan na ang tobacco harm reduction products gaya ng vapes, heated tobacco, at nicotine pouches ay maaaring magsilbi bilang mas mahusay na mga alternatibo sa sigarilyo.
Sinasabing naglalabas ang mga smoke-free product ng aerosols o vapors na naglalaman ng 95% ng hindi gaanong mapanganib na mga kemikal kaysa sa usok mula sa pagsunog sa tabako.
Ang Aerosols ay nabuo sa pamamagitan ng pagpapainit sa mas mababang temperatura kaysa sa proseso ng pagsusunog, nagresulta sa mas maliit na bilang ng mga sangkap kumpara sa usok.
“Nearly a million former smokers in the Philippines have already switched away from smoking, and with the recent FDA-CTC commentary, we expect more smokers to understand the huge difference and transition to less harmful alternatives,” ayon kay Dulay.
Tinukoy naman ni Dulay ang komentaryo na co-authored na si Dr. Brian King, direktor ng FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products at nailathala sa peer-reviewed medical journal Nature Medicine na pinag-usapan ang kaugnay na panganib ng iba’t ibang tobacco products para sa healthcare providers.
Ang komentaryo, may titulong “Nicotine e-cigarettes: Considerations for healthcare providers,” ay nagpahayag na “non-combustible tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes, generally have lower health risks to the user than combusted tobacco products.”
Binanggit nito ang natuklasan mula sa U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine na ang ganap na paglipat mula sa sigarilyo sa e-cigarettes ay binabawasan ang pagkakalantad sa maraming “toxins at carcinogens.”
“The Philippine Congress also acknowledges the role of these smoke-free products in providing Filipino smokers with alternatives when they enacted the Vape Law in 2022 to regulate vapes and novel tobacco products,” ang pahayag ni Dulay.
Hinikayat naman ng FDA-CTC commentary ang healthcare providers na turuan ang adult smokers na hindi matagumpay sa pagsubok ng ‘quitting methods’ ukol sa potensyal na benepisyo ng paglipat sa lower-risk alternatives.
Binigyang-diin nito na ang ganap na pagtigil ang nananatiling “best course of action” at ang FDA-approved cessation medications ay dapat na first-line treatment.
“Nicotine itself isn’t the problem, but how it’s delivered through combustion,” ayon kay Anton Israel, pangulo Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines sabay sabing, “Smoke-free products allow smokers to significantly reduce their exposure to toxic chemicals.”
Hinikayat naman ni Dr. Lorenzo Mata Jr., isang Filipino tobacco harm reduction advocate, ang medical professionals na timbangin o pahalagahan ang FDA-CTP commentary.
“We should study how these less harmful nicotine alternatives can help Filipinos quit smoking based on scientific evidence,” ayon kay Dr. Mata, pangulo ng harm reduction non-profit na Quit for Good.
Ang iba pang co-authors ng commentary ay sina Dr. Benjamin A. Toll ng Medical University of South Carolina’s Department of Public Health Sciences at Dr. Tracy T. Smith ng Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences ng unibersidad.
“For adult smokers who have unsuccessfully tried proven cessation methods, medical providers may consider educating patients about the relative risks of tobacco products and the potential health benefits of switching completely to a lower-risk product,” saad sa komentaryo. Kris Jose
