RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Identification of volatile constituents released from IQOS heat-not-burn tobacco HeatSticks using a direct sampling method JF Tobacco Control JO Tob Control FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP tobaccocontrol-2019-055521 DO 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055521 A1 Bogdan Dragos Ilies A1 Shamjad P Moosakutty A1 Najeh M Kharbatia A1 S Mani Sarathy YR 2020 UL http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2020/06/08/tobaccocontrol-2019-055521.abstract AB Objectives To identify the chemicals released in I Quit Ordinary Smoking (IQOS) heat-not-burn tobacco aerosol and to assess their potential human health toxicity.Methods The heating temperature window of the IQOS heat-not-burn device was determined using a thermographic camera over a period of 100 s. Qualitative studies were performed using a novel real-time gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer set-up. Aerosols from six tobacco-flavoured IQOS HeatSticks (Amber, Blue, Bronze, Sienna, Turquoise and Yellow) were collected in a 1 mL loop via a manual syringe attached to the sample-out port of the valve. The gas transport line was heated to 200°C in order to prevent the condensation of volatile species. Compound identification was performed using the NIST11 mass spectrometry database library (US National Institute of Standards and Technology), where only chemicals with a match of 70% and above were listed as identifiable.Results The temperature profile of the IQOS device revealed a non-combustive process employed in generating the tobacco aerosol. Real-time qualitative analysis revealed 62 compounds encompassing a broad spectrum of chemicals such as carbonyls, furans and phthalates, which are highly toxic.Discussion Our findings complement the qualitative studies previously performed by Philip Morris International and others via indirect sampling methods. By analysing the aerosols in real time, we have identified a total of 62 compounds, from which only 10 were in common with previous studies. Several identified species such as diacetyl, 2,3-pentanedione, hydroxymethylfurfural and diethylhexyl phthalate are classified as highly toxic, with the latter considered carcinogenic.