Smokeless Tobacco Health Threat
The majority of people are aware of the health dangers caused by cigarette smoking. As a result, many people believe that other forms of tobacco products, such as dipping or spitting tobacco provide a safe substitute for the harmful effects of inhaling cigarette smoke. The truth, however, is far from this belief.
Dip or spit tobacco, also known as smokeless tobacco, contains up to 28 agents that are known to cause cancer. Smokeless tobacco users specifically increase their risk for cancers of the lip, tongue, cheeks, and gums. Along with the many carcinogens, smokeless tobacco products contain the same highly addictive substance as cigarettes do, called nicotine.
In fact, a 30-minute dip of smokeless tobacco is estimated to deliver the same amount of nicotine as smoking 3-4 cigarettes. These harsh substances can travel from the tissues of the mouth directly into the blood stream — no swallowing or inhaling necessary.
Other documented health problems associated with dipping and chewing tobacco range from the development of pre-cancerous sores in the mouth, bad breath, tooth loss, and pancreatic cancer. A study cited by the American Cancer Society found that almost three out of four daily users of dip and chew tobacco had non-cancerous or pre-cancerous sores in the mouth, putting them at an increased risk of developing cancer.
WHAT ABOUT SNUS?
A relatively new smokeless tobacco product that is now being marketed in the U.S. is called snus. It is a form of moist powder tobacco that is placed under the lip for an extended period of time. Snus is commonly used in Sweden and is advertised to contain fewer carcinogens than the average smokeless tobacco product. Although it has fewer cancer-causing substances, using snus is still considered a health hazard.
For example, a large study done in Sweden found that snus users were approximately twice as likely to contract pancreatic cancer when compared with people who never smoked.
Additionally, caution should be taken when comparing the products of Sweden and the U.S. because they both have very different manufacturing ethics. According to the campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, U.S. tobacco products have no uniform manufacturing code, are not regulated, and contain significantly higher levels of carcinogenic substances than their Swedish counterparts.
BREAKING THE HABIT
Many benefits come from quitting smokeless tobacco products. The majority of people decide to quit these products to limit or protect themselves from the numerous health problems mentioned previously. Because purchasing tobacco products on a regular basis can be very expensive, many people choose to quit after realizing the amount of money they could be saving. Texas AgriLife Extension Service provides a Web tool that can be used to calculate how much money you spend on smokeless tobacco products per year and other items you can buy with that money (http://dontdip.tamu.edu/cost.htm).
Because there are physical, mental, and emotional components associated with nicotine addiction, a variety of tools are available to those who wish to quit. Nicotine replacement products, such as gums or patches, can be used to handle the physical aspects of addiction.
These products provide nicotine without the other harmful ingredients found in tobacco. Social support groups or counseling is recommended along with nicotine replacement therapy to aid in the psychological and emotional components of addiction.
Study findings suggest that people who undergo multifaceted therapies that focus on more than one component of addiction have double the success rate for quitting.
Quite simply, there is no such thing as a “safe” tobacco product. Users of smokeless tobacco products are exposed to many of the same chemicals that are found in cigarette smoke and are at a higher risk for a variety of health problems. The best way to avoid the harmful effects of tobacco is to quit or avoid the product altogether.
If you are considering quitting smokeless tobacco, talk with your health care professional to see which approach is right for you. For more information on the effects of smokeless tobacco, please visit www.cancer.org or dontdip.tamu.edu.
