TOBACCOFREE/Smokeless Tobacco Fact Sheet
Thu, 2009-07-23 11:09 — tzadmin
SMOKELESS TOBACCO FACT SHEET
Smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to cigarettes:
- Smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents.
- People who use smokeless tobacco are 50 times more likely to get cancer of the cheek and gums.
- Oral health problems strongly associated with smokeless tobacco use are leukoplakia (a lesion of the soft tissue that consists of a white patch or plaque that cannot be scraped off) gum disease and recession of the gums.
- Smokeless tobacco use can lead to nicotine addiction and dependence.
- The chemicals in smokeless tobacco products enter the bloodstream through tiny cuts from abrasives such as fiberglass.
Youth usage of smokeless tobacco is considerable:
- Adolescents who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to become cigarette smokers.
- Overall, 3.5% of Florida middle school students used smokeless tobacco at least once during the past 30 days.
- Overall, 5.9% of high school students used smokeless tobacco at least once during the past 30 days.
Source: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
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