RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Can heat-non-burn tobacco be "non-burn" and "smokeless"? JF European Respiratory Journal JO Eur Respir J FD European Respiratory Society SP PA1729 DO 10.1183/13993003.congress-2018.PA1729 VO 52 IS suppl 62 A1 Efthimios Zervas A1 Paraskevi Katsaounou YR 2018 UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/52/suppl_62/PA1729.abstract AB Introduction: The EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD, 2014/40/EU) clearly states that, in the case of novel products, its application depends on whether those products fall under the definition of a smokeless tobacco product or of a product for smokingHeat-non-burn tobacco is a new product. Manufacturers of these products claim that, as no combustion process takes place, their products are smokeless and thus, the TPD is not applied to themMethodology: Combustion principles are applied here to show that heat-non-burn products are not smokelessResults: The transfer of energy to all organic compounds results in heating. After an energy threshold, which can be reached even at quite low temperatures, this organic compound is dissociated and the first radicals are formed. This initiation step occurs in either presence or absence of air. During the propagation step, which comes next, the radicals undergo decomposition and oxidation in the presence of air, while they are combined together to form heavier products leading to particulate matter, which is smoke, in the case of general or local oxygen lack. At the end, the radicals are combined together to form the final products (termination step). This mechanism is followed by all organic compounds under heatingThe detection of carbonyls, which are intermediate products during the combustion of all organic compounds, and particulate matter in the products of heat-non-burn tobacco implies that combustion (burn) does occur in this product. Combustion leads inevitably to smoke and thus this product is not smokelessConclusions: The term heat-non-burn tobacco is not scientifically correct and is used ubusively. Heat-non-burn tobacco products are ‘burn” and not “non-burn” and cannot be “smokeless”FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2018 52: Suppl. 62, PA1729.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).