Role of testing standards in smoke-free product assessments

Introduction:
This article discusses the importance of testing standards in the assessment of smoke-free tobacco products, specifically electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products. The authors propose a framework for developing relevant testing standards to compare aerosol yields across different product categories.

Key Points:

* Technological advances have led to the development of smoke-free products that offer adult smokers alternatives with the potential to present less risk compared to continued smoking.
* Smoke-free products, including electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products, do not burn tobacco and produce an aerosol instead of smoke.
* Existing testing standards for tobacco products were mainly developed for cigarettes and are not applicable to smoke-free products.
* a critical review of the applicability of existing testing standards to smoke-free products is provided, and a framework for developing relevant testing standards is proposed.
* The authors suggest that testing standards for smoke-free products should provide standard product test criteria and standard testing methods for the quantification of analytes.
* No internationally recognized testing standards exist for smoke-free products, which leads to difficulties in comparing data and potentially misleading conclusions.
* The lack of validated, widely available standard methods for the assessment of e-cigarette emissions makes it difficult to replicate studies and conclusions.

Main Message:
The authors emphasize the urgent need for the establishment of quality and assessment standards relevant for smoke-free products. While existing testing standards for tobacco products are mainly developed for cigarettes, they are not applicable to smoke-free products. The authors propose a framework for developing relevant testing standards for smoke-free products, highlighting the importance of robust testing standards to enable meaningful comparisons between different products. The absence of such standards can lead to data that are difficult to compare, or worse, result in misleading conclusions.

Belushkin, M., M. Esposito, G. Jaccard, C. Jeannet, a. Korneliou, and D. Tafin Djoko. “Role of Testing Standards in Smoke-Free Product assessments.” Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 98 (October 2018): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2018.06.021.