In recent years there has been a boom in the consumption of electronic nicotine delivery devices and heated tobacco devices. Despite questions about their effects on the health of the people who use them and the scarce studies on the subject, they have an increasing presence in the markets.
Tobacco companies claim that the elimination of combustion is an advantage of these devices over conventional cigarettes and promote them as innovative and reduced risk products. However, the production of these devices depends on a set of raw materials in addition to tobacco, such as metallic and non-metallic minerals whose exploitation and commercialization have highly harmful impacts on the lives of people and natural resources, especially the people and communities living in the territories where the extractive projects are located.
This research shows that the addiction business based on over-mining for the production of heated tobacco devices is not sustainable. There is a need for decision makers to question tobacco companies’ claims about the benefits of PTCs and to promote greater oversight and regulation of these products. Tobacco companies must prioritize the protection and respect for human rights and the environment over their profits and stop trying to turn the laws that regulate them on their head.