The anti-smoking body, Quit Victoria, is calling for a government investigation into a new product from Philip Morris.

Yesterday, Philip Morris launched the so-called Heatbar, Australia's first hand-held electronic smoking device. The electronic device called a Heatbar, heats cigarettes without burning them. The tobacco company maintains that the device is said to deliver an "aerosol which gives the consumer the flavour and aroma associated with smoking" and claims to reduce second-hand smoke by more than 90 per cent.
Available in four colours and retailing for $49, the Heatbar is about the size of a mobile phone and heats specifically designed cigarettes without burning them.
Quit executive director Fiona Sharkie accused Philip Morris of deliberately targeting young people in one of Melbourne's most fashionable retail precincts and called on the Federal Government to investigate the device. (pi)