smokeless tobacco

CDC reveals no drop in smokeless tobacco use among U.S. workers

Source: philly.comAuthor: Margaret Steele, HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, June 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cigarette smoking continues to decline among Americans who work, but use of smokeless tobacco -- a known cause of cancer -- has held steady since 2005, U.S. health officials reported Thursday. Certain types of jobs -- construction and mining, especially -- are hotbeds of smokeless tobacco use, according to a study conducted by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Looking at tobacco use over five years, the researchers found a decline in cigarette smoking among working adults -- from about 22 percent in 2005 to 19 percent in 2010. But use of smokeless tobacco products such as chewing tobacco and snuff inched up slightly -- from 2.7 percent in 2005 to 3 percent in 2010."These findings can help health professionals direct assistance to working men and women to stop using smokeless tobacco, a known cause of oral, esophageal and pancreatic cancer," the researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The CDC called on employers to try to snuff out all forms of tobacco use. New smokeless tobacco products such as snus (finely ground moist snuff) and candy-flavored dissolvable tobacco, combined with increased marketing, might explain smokeless tobacco's steady use, the CDC authors said. However, snus and some other products weren't included in the questionnaire so it's possible smokeless tobacco use is underestimated, study author Dr. Jacek Mazurek, of the division of respiratory disease studies, and colleagues noted. Chewing tobacco and snuff aren't safe, research has shown. [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-06-06T10:47:15-07:00June, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

New study shows a rise in smokeless tobacco sales, especially among youth

Source: UMass Medical School Communications (http://www.umassmed.edu/news)Author: Sandra Gray The number of smokeless tobacco products sold in Massachusetts is soaring, as are the levels of nicotine packed into many of them, according to a new analysis from UMass Medical School and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). “Nationwide, cigarette smoking control has been very successful and we have experienced a steady decline, but that success is being offset by the increased use of smokeless tobacco products, especially by youth,” said UMMS statistical scientist Wenjun Li, PhD. Dr. Li, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, co-authored the paper with colleagues from the DPH. Published in the journal Tobacco Control, the study examines ten years of product data (from 2003 to 2012) that Massachusetts law requires tobacco manufacturers provide to the DPH. Notable findings include a nearly 30 percent increase in the number of moist snuff products and a nearly sixfold increase in the number of snus products sold in Massachusetts; these increases correlate with rising use among high school students. Nationwide, more than one in eight males in the 12th grade uses smokeless tobacco. In Massachusetts, use among high school students has more than doubled since 2001. A wide variety of smokeless tobacco products on the market include newer inventions like dissolvable lozenges, snus and moist snuff, many of them flavored and colorfully packaged to appeal to youth, along with more traditional forms used by adults including chewing tobacco and dry snuff. Researchers were particularly interested in unionized, or [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-03-24T14:56:03-07:00March, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

New study claims children who use snus before age 16 are more likely to become cigarette smokers

Source: Reuters Health Author: Shereen Jegtvig Norwegians who started using snus before age 16 were more likely to become cigarette smokers than those who started using snus later in life, according to a new study. Snus is moist smokeless tobacco developed in Sweden. It's contained in a small pouch, and unlike regular chewing tobacco, it doesn't make the user spit. Research suggests snus has lower levels of chemicals called nitrosamines than cigarettes and may be less harmful. In Norway, snus has become a smoking cessation aid and most older snus users are former smokers. But snus is also becoming increasingly popular among young Norwegian adults, many of whom have not smoked cigarettes. And although research is divided, the current thinking is that snus use reduces the likelihood of taking up smoking. The authors of the new study wanted to know more about when people start using snus, to see if that ties into whether they also begin smoking cigarettes. "I already knew about the research investigating associations between snus use and later smoking, but discovered that snus debut age had not been mentioned in that research," Ingeborg Lund told Reuters Health in an email. Lund is a researcher with the Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research - SIRUS, in Oslo. She and her colleague Janne Scheffels published their study in Nicotine and Tobacco Research. The researchers analyzed surveys of Norwegian teenagers and adults conducted from 2005 to 2011. Out of 8,313 people, 409 were long-term snus users who had started using snus before [...]

Charlotte Parker2014-02-18T17:17:10-07:00February, 2014|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco Companies Target Youth, Mislead Public About Smokeless Products In Order To Maintain Profits

Source: Medical DailyPublished: September 10,2013By: Anthony Rivas British American Tobacco (BAT), the maker of Lucky Strike, Dunhill, and Pall Mall cigarettes, has recently spent some time promoting its smokeless tobacco brands, saying that snus, a moist tobacco that’s typically placed under the upper lip, is “at least 90 percent less harmful than smoking cigarettes.” But new research, meant to serve as information for tobacco policy in the European Union (EU), finds that BAT and other tobacco companies aren’t really concerned about the public’s health and, rather, are more concerned about maintaining profits should cigarette sales decline. Snus, one of the many forms of smokeless tobacco, is currently banned in every country in the EU except for Sweden. Researchers with the UK Center for Tobacco Control Studies were tasked with finding information regarding transnational tobacco companies’ interests in smokeless tobacco from the 1970s to the present, to better inform policymakers in their decision, according to a statement. It's All For The Profits By comparing the tobacco industry’s internal documents to its campaigns to help reduce public harm with smokeless tobacco, the researchers found that “there is clear evidence that [British American Tobacco’s] early interest in introducing [smokeless tobacco] in Europe was based on the potential for creating an alternative form of tobacco use in light of declining cigarette sales and social restrictions on smoking, with young people a key target,” they wrote. BAT’s internal documents note cigarettes’ declining popularity, saying, “We have no wish to aid or hasten any decline in cigarette [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-09-11T15:59:57-07:00September, 2013|Oral Cancer News|

Smokeless tobacco products pose serious health risks

Source: www.nice.org.uk Author: staff Smokeless tobacco products used by some people in South Asian communities are associated with serious health risks such as oral cancer and cardiovascular disease, according to latest NICE guidance. Many members of the South Asian community use smokeless tobacco products to freshen the breath or to aid digestion. These products, which include paan or gutkha, are typically served as a mixture which is chewed and consists of betel leaf combined with areca nut, tobacco and spices. Research shows that particular groups within South Asian communities such as women, those in older age groups and people from Bangladeshi origin, are more likely to use these products. However, many are not aware that using smokeless tobacco carries health risks such as cardiovascular disease, dental disease, nicotine addiction, problems in pregnancy, and oral cancer. South Asian women are almost four times more likely to have oral cancer as those from other groups. It is thought that the prevalence of smokeless tobacco among South Asian women is one of the main reasons for this increased likelihood. NICE's public health guidance on smokeless tobacco cessation for South Asian communities contains a number of recommendations to tackle its use and improve knowledge of its associated health risks. The recommendations are aimed a range of groups including directors of public health, clinical commissioning groups, dental public health consultants, and faith leaders and others involved in faith centres. NICE says local need should be assessed to determine the prevalence and incidence of smokeless tobacco [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-09-28T07:26:48-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Head and neck cancer rates for smokeless tobacco described

Source: Health News Observer September 16, 2012 | by Steven Rothrock MD Smokeless tobacco is tobacco that is not burned or smoked. Other terms used for smokeless tobacco include chewing tobacco, spitting tobacco, dip, chew, and snuff. Typically these products are held in the mouth until juices are built up and spit out. Spitless products are available and some people choose to swallow the juices instead. Nicotine, which can be addictive, and cancer-causing agents are absorbed through the mouth’s lining. While using smokeless tobacco has been associated with many different cancers, the magnitude of the risk has not been previously well described. This week, in an online edition of the International Journal of Cancer, researchers sought to identify the magnitude of the risk of developing head and neck cancer in those who used smokeless tobacco. Towards that goal, the risk of cancer was compared between 1,046 users and 1,239 non-users of smokeless tobacco. After adjusting for age, sex, race, education, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use, any use of smokeless tobacco was associated with a 20% increased risk of head and neck cancer. Use of smokeless tobacco for 10 or more years had a 320% higher rate of developing these cancers compared to those who never used these products. In addition to head and neck cancers, users of these products are at risk for other cancers (e.g. esophageal, pancreatic, kidney), heart disease, high blood pressure, pregnancy loss, premature birth or low birth weights, low sperm counts, not to mention tooth gum [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-09-18T13:50:57-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

More evidence presented that the increasingly popular e-cigarettes are harmful

Source: www.examiner.com Author: W. Mark Dendy A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Athens in Greece and presented at the European Respiratory Society’s Annual Congress in Vienna in September 2012 sheds some new light on the risks of the electronic cigarette. The study was a phase I clinical trial in which 32 participants each smoked a single e-cigarette for 10 minutes and had their airway resistance measured using a number of different respiratory tests before and immediately afterward. Respiratory tests carried out by the researchers included: • spirometry (a test looking at various measures of lung function) • static lung volume • airway resistance (the obstruction of the airways to airflow) • airway conductance (a measure related to airway resistance) • single breath nitrogen test (a measure of how adequate inspiration and expiration is) According to one of the researchers, Professor Christine Gratziou, the main finding of the study was that after smoking one e-cigarette for 10 minutes there was “an immediate rise in airway resistance in our group of participants, which suggests e-cigarettes can cause immediate harm after smoking the device”. Gratziou added that “more research is needed to understand whether this harm also has lasting effects in the long-term”. The airway resistance lasted for longer than 10 minutes in all of the 32 people, suggesting that air was not passing so easily through their airways. In a study presented back in April 2012, a chemical known as (S)-N’-nitrosonornicotine, or (S)-NNN, which is present in smokeless [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-09-06T19:39:08-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers Identify Chemical Linked to Oral Cancer Risk in Smokeless Tobacco

By Denise Mann WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD Aug. 22, 2012 -- Dip, chew, snuff, and other types of smokeless tobacco are known to increase risk for oral cancer. Now new research in rats is zeroing in on exactly how this may occur. The findings were presented at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in Philadelphia. The newly identified cancer-causing culprit in these products is (S)-NNN. It is part of a larger family of chemicals called nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are also found in such foods as beer and bacon. They form naturally in the stomach when people eat foods containing high levels of nitrite. Nitrosamine levels in smokeless tobacco are far higher than in food, according to a prepared statement. Researchers fed rats a low dose of two forms of chemicals found in smokeless tobacco for 17 months. The doses were about equivalent to a person who used half a tin of smokeless tobacco every day for 30 years. (S)-NNN seemed to cause large numbers of oral and esophageal tumors in the rats, the study shows. "There is a very specific oral carcinogen in smokeless tobacco and it is potent," says researcher Silvia Balbo, PhD. She is a cancer researcher at the Masonic Cancer Center of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. This compound is found in all smokeless tobacco products, including those that look like breath mints, strips, or candy, and “snus,” which are pouches filled with tobacco that are placed between the upper lip and gum. [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-08-23T09:19:37-07:00August, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco use and baseball

Source: www.quitsmokingforyou.com Like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco), cause mouth cancer, gum disease, and heart disease. Yet many think that chewing tobacco is safe or less so than smoking. This is not true! In 1986, the Surgeon normal closed that the use of smokeless tobacco “is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes. It can cause cancer and a whole of noncancerous conditions and can lead to nicotine addiction and dependence.” Since 1991, the National Cancer institute (Nci) has officially recommended that the group avoid and desist the use of all tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco. Nci also recognizes that nitrosamines, found in tobacco products, are not safe at any level. Chewing tobacco and baseball have a long tight affiliation, rooted in the cultural confidence among players and fans that baseball players chew tobacco and it is just part of the grand old game. This mystique is slowing changing with campaigns by ballplayers who have had or have seen friends with mouth cancer caused by chewing tobacco use. Jeff Bagwell Jeff Bagwell, retired first baseman with the Houston Astros and Joe Garagiola, a previous baseball player and commentator, campaign against tobacco use among children and addicted adults. In 1993, when Bagwell was 25-years-old, his dentist discovered leukoplakia, a whitish pre-cancerous sore in his mouth where he continually located chewing tobacco. About 5% of leukoplakias institute into cancer. Fortunately this did not happen to Jeff Bagwell due to the early detection by his dentist. Rick Bender, The Man Without [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-06-04T20:47:24-07:00June, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

2009 Federal Tobacco Tax Increase Cut Number of Youth Smokers by At Least 220,000 in First Two Months Alone, New Study Shows

Source: TobaccoFreeKids.org WASHINGTON, DC – The large federal tobacco tax increase implemented on April 1, 2009, reduced the number of youth smokers by at least 220,000 and the number of youth smokeless tobacco users by at least 135,000 in the first two months alone, according to a new study released today by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The researchers emphasized that the study measured only the immediate impact of the tax increase through May 2009, and the number of youth prevented from smoking and using smokeless tobacco would be much larger over time. The study "showed that a large national tax increase can influence youth tobacco use prevalence within a very short time period," the researchers wrote. "Adolescents not only respond to tax policy changes, but the speed of their response is fast. The prevalence of smoking and use of smokeless tobacco… dropped immediately following the tax increase in this study, and statistically significant and meaningful changes could be measured and detected within 30 days of the tax increase." The study was published online by the National Bureau of Economic Research and can be found at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w18026. The new study comes as the tobacco industry, led by Philip Morris USA and R.J. Reynolds, is spending nearly $40 million to oppose a June 5 ballot initiative in California (Proposition 29) to increase that state’s cigarette tax by $1 per pack. The initiative would reduce smoking and fund research on cancer and other tobacco-related diseases, as well as tobacco [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-05-11T10:58:27-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|