Smokeless tobacco can cause Researchers find more education needed for young users in West Virginia
3/1/2002 West Virginia Fran Berger HealthScout Reporter A pinch between the cheek and gum can cause oral cancer, experts know. But researchers in West Virginia have found the kids who stick a wad in their mouth don't know the dangers. A recent survey of 808 public school students in the Mountaineer State found that use of chewing tobacco increased with age, with more than a third using smokeless tobacco monthly or daily by 11th grade -- and many didn't realize the substance could lead to disease. "West Virginia is usually No. 1 in the U.S. when it comes to use of smokeless tobacco," says Dr. Lynne J. Goebel, the study's lead author. "We've heard from doctors in rural areas that some people are using smokeless tobacco to help ease teething pain, rubbing it on babies' gums, and parents are giving it to kids as a reward for good grades," she says. Smokeless tobacco is "highly addictive. People who use smokeless tobacco have sustained nicotine levels," she says, explaining that with smoking, you're exposed for five minutes. But you have "a chew in your mouth for up to 30 minutes. Some sleep with it in their mouth." Goebel and her team compared 648 non-users with 160 male users of smokeless tobacco in the fifth, eighth and 11th grades in West Virginia public schools. Women were excluded, based on the small percentage who indulge. Seven percent of the fifth graders said they used smokeless tobacco. That rose to 22 percent in eighth [...]