snuff – Page 3 – Oral Cancer News

Maternal use of swedish snuff (Snus) and risk of stillbirth

Source: www.bioportfolio.com Author: Wikström, Anna-Karin Background: Swedish snuff has been discussed internationally as a safer alternative to tobacco smoking. International cigarette manufacturers are promoting new snuff products, and the use of Swedish snuff is increasing, especially among women of childbearing age. The effect of Swedish snuff on pregnancy complications is unknown. Methods: In this population-based cohort study, we estimated the risk of stillbirth in snuff users (n = 7629), light smokers (1-9 cigarettes/day; n = 41,488), and heavy smokers (>/=10 cigarettes/day; n = 17,014), using nontobacco users (n = 504,531) as reference. Results: Compared with nontobacco users, snuff users had an increased risk of stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio = 1.6 [95% confidence interval = 1.1-2.3]); the risk was higher for preterm (<37 weeks) stillbirth (2.1 [1.3-3.4]). For light smokers, the adjusted odds ratio of stillbirth was 1.4 (1.2-1.7) and the corresponding risk for heavy smokers was 2.4 (2.0-3.0). When we excluded women with preeclampsia or antenatal bleeding and infants who were small for gestational age, the smoking-related risks of stillbirth was markedly attenuated; the elevated risk for snuff users remained the same level. Conclusions: Use of Swedish snuff during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of stillbirth. The mechanism behind this increased risk seems to differ from the underlying mechanism in smokers. Swedish snuff does not appear to be a safe alternative to cigarette smoking during pregnancy. Source: Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.) Authors Affiliations: a Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; b Department of Women's and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-11-21T12:54:01-07:00November, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

On the Call: Altria Group CEO Michael Szymanczyk

Source: Business Week Richmond, VA Like other tobacco companies, Altria Group Inc. is focusing on cigarette alternatives such as cigars, snuff and chewing tobacco for sales growth as tax increases, smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma make the cigarette business tougher. The smokeless tobacco category is growing at about 7 percent a year, but still remains small compared with cigarettes. The parent company of the nation's biggest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, said Wednesday that volumes for its smokeless tobacco segment, which includes Copenhagen and Skoal, as well as Marlboro Snus, grew 16.4 percent in the third quarter and revenues excluding excise taxes increased about 11 percent to $363 million. In a conference call with analysts regarding Altria's third-quarter earnings, CEO Michael E. Szymanczyk talked about the company working with retailers to better align their shelf space with changes in the tobacco industry. QUESTION: Is the investment to help retailers reallocate their space and improve their display units for smokeless products meaningful to call out? RESPONSE: This is a category that has grown pretty substantially here over the last few years, but in retail stores, there hasn't been any significant movement in the space. At the same time, the cigarette category has declined in volume. And while inventories have come down in the cigarette business, the actual physical space devoted to cigarettes hasn't meaningfully changed. There's a good opportunity to play catch-up here. ... We're helping retailers redistribute their space so it's more consistent with their sales, and that [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-10-21T12:27:20-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Dead man will be remembered for spreading oral cancer

Source: The Gawker/ WSJ Author: Steven Miller Louis Bantle, the former marketing director and chairman of U.S. Tobacco, died earlier this month at the age of 81 from emphysema and lung cancer. Bantle was most famous for convincing millions of teenagers to dip. The WSJ chroniclesBantle's work from the 1960s through the 1990s, during which time he helped turn snuff into a billion-dollar business and tripled its use among 18-24 year-olds. "We must sell the use of tobacco in the mouth and appeal to young people," he said, according to the minutes of a marketing meeting in 1968. "We hope to start a fad." "If you go to high school in Texas and you don't have a can of snuff in your pocket, you're out," Mr. Bantle told Forbes in 1980. Your legacy will live on, Mr. Bantle. Original Article from the WSJ: Louis Bantle made dipping snuff into a national pastime. Mr. Bantle, who died Oct. 10 at age 81 after a long struggle with lung cancer and emphysema, was chairman of United States Tobacco Co. for two decades beginning in 1973, a period that saw an explosion in snuff's popularity, particularly among younger users. In the 1970s, sales of the company's Skoal and Copenhagen tobaccos were relatively small and concentrated in the upper Midwest, where Scandinavian woodcutters had spread the smokeless habit in the 19th century. Mr. Bantle ramped up advertising featuring football and rodeo star Walt Garrison and other rugged athletes. He introduced a series of "starter" [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-10-20T08:39:52-07:00October, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Smokeless tobacco won’t help smokers quit

Source: www.webmd.com Author: Bill Hendrick Smokeless tobacco products -- whether chewed or used as dry or moist snuff -- may increase the risk of heart attack, fatal stroke and certain cancers, says a new policy statement published online in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. "No tobacco product is safe to consume," Mariann Piano, PhD, lead writer of the policy statement and a professor in the department of behavioral health science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, says in a news release. The notion that smokeless tobacco may help reduce the rate of cigarette smoking is based in part on Swedish research, which showed a significant decline in smoking by Swedish men between 1976 and 2002 that corresponded with an increase in the use of smokeless tobacco. But in similar research in the U.S., the opposite was found to be true, the article says. There was no reduction in smoking rates among people who used smokeless tobacco products. Nicotine-Replacement Therapy Piano says that smokers trying to kick the habit might want to try nicotine-replacement therapy, by chewing nicotine gum or using a nicotine patch that can be attached to the skin, rather than using smokeless tobacco products. Piano tells WebMD that most people who use nicotine-replacement therapy do so for short periods of time, and it doesn't appear to be as addictive as smokeless tobacco "because of slower absorption, lower doses of nicotine, greater cost, lack of flavoring, sociocultural influences" or a combination of such factors. She says [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-09-14T09:06:26-07:00September, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

A tough one to chew on: smokeless tobacco and teens

Source: Medscape Today Author: Mary E. Muscari, PhD, CPNP, APRN-BC, CFNS Introduction One would think that the mere image of a bulgy cheek spewing brown, foul-smelling goo would be more than enough to turn anyone, especially appearance-conscious teens, off of using smokeless tobacco (ST). But then, these media-savvy adolescents probably have discovered snus, a smoke- and spit-free tobacco. According to a recent article in Reuters,[1] the use of ST is on the rise among US teens, reversing a downward trend in tobacco product use by adolescents. The Reuters article cites comments made by Terry Pechacek, PhD, Associate Director for Science, Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a report to a US Congressional Panel. Among his comments is the suggestion that ST-using Major League Baseball® (MLB) players may be influencing young men to take up the cancer-causing habit. In his report, Dr. Pechacek noted that "the recent increases in ST use by adolescent boys and young adult men and the increasing dual use of cigarettes and ST products may portend a leveling off or even a reversal in the decline in smoking, the perpetuation of nicotine dependence, and continuing high levels of tobacco-related disease and death in the country."[2] Given this grim outlook, healthcare professionals need to kick up their fight against teen tobacco use by increasing their focus on smokeless forms of tobacco. Smokeless Tobacco ST (also known as spit, plug dip, chaw, rack, spits, grizz, [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-07-10T06:34:38-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Swedish Match snuff separates from snus pack

Source: Tobacco News Author: Staff Swedish Match North America, maker of moist snuff, cigars and chewing tobacco, is taking a different approach to marketing its Swedish-style snus tobacco product when compared to two other U.S. tobacco companies offering the product, according to a report by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Swedish Match marketers began a sampling effort in Vail, Colo., and now are handing out silvery sample packs of General Snus on Wall Street — a sign that the product will be positioned as a high-end item, the report stated.”We are emphasizing the Swedish cachet,” Richard Flaherty, president of Swedish Match North America, told the paper when asked about the sampling push. In addition, Swedish Match’s General brand is more expensive than either the Marlboro brand by Altria Group’s Philip Morris unit, or Reynolds American’s Camel brand. The premium positioning is not the only difference in its marketing strategy.”We’re not marketing snus as something for when you can’t smoke. We’re marketing it as an alternative to cigarettes,” Flaherty said in the report. The company is looking for smokers who don’t want to smoke at all, rather than using the product as a fill-in to cigarettes, the report stated. For this reason, the company identified a key target group in parents who worry about secondhand smoke at home, Flaherty said. In addition, the focus on niche consumer groups rather than the general tobacco market is a reason why General isn’t appearing in convenience stores. Instead of fighting for shelf space with two of the toughest competitors in [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-05-27T07:48:07-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Smokeless tobacco risks ‘overblown’?

Source: www.tobacco-news.net Author: staff The Wall Street Journal “Numbers Guy” blog said that while smokeless tobacco products remain far less popular than cigarettes in the United States, a collection of products that deliver nicotine without smoke—including dip, chew, snuff and newer items that look more like chewing gum—have sparked a heated debate about health risks. Opponents of these products have presented numbers that suggest smokeless tobacco is an enormous public-health threat akin to cigarettes, while supporters, including some scientists, suggest smokeless items could offer a solution to smoking’s toll on public health. Both claims are based on misinterpretations of the data, said the report. Critics of smokeless tobacco have spoken out recently about elevated risks of oral cancer and dangers these items pose to children who accidentally ingest them. All of these risks appear to be overblown, said the blog, particularly compared with smoking, which is far more likely to kill than smokeless alternatives. But researchers who recommend these products as alternatives for smokers seeking to quit also are relying on hazy figures, the report added. Much of their evidence comes from Sweden, where use of smokeless products has risen in recent decades as smoking, and lung-cancer rates, have fallen. Many scientists who study tobacco use remain unpersuaded that the drop in cancer rates stemmed from the increase in use of smokeless products. In pressing the case for more stringent regulation of smokeless tobacco, a National Cancer Institute physician last week testified before Congress that smokeless-tobacco products can multiply users’ [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-26T19:22:22-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Experts warn that new “smokeless” tobacco products are still dangerous

Source: FOX21News Author: Tracee Tolentino DULUTH - The tobacco industry is offering new products and finding new ways to attract and keep customers. However, health advocates say the new products are just as dangerous, and the customers are getting younger and younger. "Most 6-year-olds, if you queried them, they would know who Joe Camel is," said Michele Hughes of the Douglas County Health Department. Now, with the introduction of new smokeless tobacco alternatives, there are new ways that young adults can get hooked to nicotine. “They’re out there as the ‘good guy’ or look, these aren't quite as harmful, but indeed these are deadly products that lead to a lifetime of addiction and this is an industry that is out for our youth,” said Pat McKone of the American Lung Association of Minnesota. Many new tobacco products are more appealing to younger customers, with bright packaging, candy flavors and the illusion of a "safer" nicotine delivery source. McKone warns that these products are tricks. The alternative products include forms of snuff, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes or snus, which are spit-less tobacco pouches that users place under their upper lip. "These products are to enable people to keep using nicotine and nicotine delivery systems until they can get out to smoke," said McKone. The popularity of these products has increased as more states have adopted smoking bans for workplaces and businesses. Minnesota’s ban is already in place and in July, Wisconsin will follow suit. “80% of current adult smokers started between the [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-19T22:29:13-07:00March, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Swedish snuff more addicting?

Source: www.upi.com Author: staff A Swedish tobacco company adds a substance to snuff products to heighten dependency, an investigative report concluded. The usual level for snuff or 'snus' is eight milligrams per gram but double that amount was found in one product produced by Swedish Match, the news program Kalla Fakta reported. The report alleges that Swedish Match added a substance known as E500 which raises "free" nicotine to increase craving. The tobacco company denies any wrongdoing. "There is no secret substance in snus," spokesman Henrik Brehmer said regarding the use of E500. "We use it to stabilize the pH value in snus and have done so for 200 years." Brehmer rejected an assertion by Harvard School of Public Health Professor Greg Connolly Swedish Match is deliberately using the substance to addict consumers. "In a study in 2008 he concluded that we are manipulating the pH value, something that we consider hugely speculative," Brehmer said.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-26T18:47:47-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Today’s smokeless tobacco is just as addictive and marketed to the young

Source: www.timesleader.com Author: Geri Anne Kaikowski It’s a misconception that just because you don’t smoke nicotine, it is less addictive and less dangerous than a cigarette. That’s the fallacy and danger behind a marketing ploy for a new take on a centuries old product, snuff. Whereas the old snuff, popular in the 1970s and 1980s in round paper containers or bags under the name Copenhagen or Skoal, was chewed and spit out, today’s snuff comes in fancy containers with equally avant-garde aromas and names. And unlike its predecessor, this snuff isn’t pinched into one’s gums or chewed, it’s inhaled through the nostrils. And it isn’t being used just by baseball players or teenage boys emulating their sports idols. Snuff is being marketed to tweens, teens and college students, both female and male, as hip, cool and healthy. It’s available for a nominal cost with a simple click online. Yet, it’s anything but harmless, according to an area ear, nose and throat specialist, who is concerned that in any form, nicotine is extremely addictive. And what makes snuff so dangerous is that it doesn’t fall under any federal regulations, according to a local tobacco expert. Many feel it’s the burning and inhaling of tobacco that exposes users to most carcinogens. Some specialists feel that, for health reasons, if you are going to use tobacco, you are better off using nasal snuff. But nasal snuff contains nicotine and is highly addictive, says Dr. Zephron Newmark, an ENT specialist with Geisinger [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-13T03:44:09-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|