After a product has been developed and has been shown to generate lower levels of HPHCs in the aerosol compared to levels found in cigarette smoke, it undergoes Toxicological Assessment.
Toxicological Assessment tells us about how much damage to the biology of an organism the aerosol from an RRP may cause compared to cigarette smoke, and if that damage is likely to activate biological mechanisms that may result in the onset of tobacco-related diseases.
It is important to note that toxicological data on its own is not sufficient to prove that switching to smoke-free products is of reduced risk compared to continued cigarettes smoking; specially designed clinical studies are required to answer such questions. That being said, toxicological assessment provides a very good indication of the risk reduction and the confidence to move forward with clinical studies. Results from toxicological studies can also complement the data from clinical studies.
Toxicity assessment helps to predict whether a given smoke-free product is likely to present less risk of harm compared to continued smoking.