The Dangers of Smokeless Tobacco Essay

Tobacco has been around in the world for over 2.5 million years. It was not until a few hundred years ago when the tobacco industry decided to put these crops into use and conjure up tobacco products for the community. A popular tobacco product in society is cigarettes, as they are cheap and simple to use. As long as one is over eighteen, acquiring cigarettes is a straightforward process for a reasonable price, albeit the sin tax. It was not until recently when cigarettes became widely controversial due to the plant containing nicotine, an addictive drug to the body. Aside from containing nicotine and other hazardous chemicals to the body, cigarettes also cause a whole host of health implications

Smokeless tobacco includes chew, spit, dip, snuff, snus and various other forms. These oral methods of tobacco chewing just are not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes! Chewing this type of tobacco increases a users percentage of getting oral cancer by 80% and 60% for esophageal cancer. Smokeless tobacco can also lead to users getting nicotine addiction due to the substances’ increased content in smokeless tobacco products. Smokeless tobacco products could potentially comprise of four times more nicotine than a regular cigarette. (What You Need to Know About Smokeless Tobacco, Tobacco Free

Illegal immigration it is a controversial issue for many years. Immigrants do not have the same benefits as Americans citizens. According to the article Illegal Immigration by Kathleen Brown states “In the past decade, the number of illegal immigrants has double, to 2.1 million, equivalent to the population of Arkansas” (Brown). In fact, illegal immigrants immigrate to America, but their main intention is to get better opportunities in life. The American dream is all over the world, which is the principal reason why people come to United States to make their American dream true. However, the epiphany is that Americans protect their country by implementing more laws and enforcing their borders secure.

On the second study of e-cigarettes they still came up with 3.3 micrograms per cubic meter of nicotine levels in the air. In the study involving smoking regular tobacco cigarettes the amount of nicotine levels were ten times higher at almost 32 micrograms per cubic meter (Reuters, 2014). E-cigarettes did not change the amount of carbon monoxide or other gases in the air and did not produce some particulate matter that regular cigarettes do at about seven times more. In conclusion with this study exposure to nicotine is lower when compared to exposure from tobacco smoke, and nicotine is relatively safer when compared to other dangerous toxicants in tobacco smoke according to Goniewicz (Reuter, 2014).

E-cigarettes have exploded onto the scene in the past three years. Whole stores dedicated to these devices have opened their doors to the public and business is thriving. E-cigarettes are battery-charged devices that have an atomizer, or heating element, in them to vaporize liquid nicotine. The user is able to inhale this vapor and get the nicotine without the other 4,000 chemicals present in tobacco cigarette smoke (Schroeder). Nicotine is a chemical that is produced by the tobacco plant. People have discovered that by smoking the leaves of a tobacco plant the nicotine in the leaves is delivered into the bloodstream. Nicotine by itself is not an awful drug as far as drugs go, although it is highly addictive, it is the tar in cigarettes that does so much damage. Tobacco use remains the number one preventable cause of death in the U.S. with 480,000 Americans dying prematurely from tobacco related disease. Kicking this habit remains difficult for most (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Mark Twain once wrote “It’s easy to quit smoking, I’ve done it hundreds of times.”

Let’s just start with one of the main reasons on why using smokeless tobacco is bad for you, it contains multitude of chemicals, some of which cause cancer. Of some of the 4,000+ chemicals found in a can of chewing tobacco (The Effects Of Physical Withdrawal, 2013), some of these include; formaldehyde, arsenic, polonium-210 (nuclear waste), cadmium (car battery additive), acetone (paint stripper), ammonia, and Nitrosamines. According to the American Cancer Society, that least thirty (30) of these chemicals found in smokeless tobacco are cancer causing agents. (Berger, 2015) Of these cancer causing chemical, the most harmful are “Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines (TSNAs)” Some of the cancers that smokeless tobacco can attribute too include, but are not limited to; mouth, tongue, cheek, gum, esophageal, and pancreatic. (Berger, 2015) Hank, I know that you’re probably heard all of this before, but I’ve heard your excuse before “It’s a safer alternative than cigarettes.” Hank, have you ever read one of the front labels found on most cans that state, “This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes.”

With technological innovations happening everyday, many products are being created promoting health. Among these products is what is known as a e-cigarette. With no tobacco, tar, or even smoke, it has to be safe. Or is it? E-cigarettes were first introduced in 2006 as an alternative to smoking tobacco products. These e-cigarettes use vapor as opposed to smoke. The user still can receive their fill of nicotine with an added bonus of a flavor choice. With there first launch they weren 't seen as a breakthrough to many people and quickly was pushed aside. However, with growing technological advancements they have become a trending alternative to the normal cigarette. Many are quick to assume that the lack of actual tobacco results in a less dangerous product. But is it actually what it seems?

Breathe in. Breathe out. It’s been said that for every cigarette a person smokes it takes seven minutes away from his or her life. Nicotine is known to be very addictive and kills hundreds of people with diverse diseases each year. Whatever may draw a person to start smoking, there are numerous effects of those breathes. The use of tobacco, specifically smoking cigarettes, is found to have no benefits to human health or the environment. The unknown chemicals and ingredients will leave the consumer with lasting effects.

Smokeless tobacco can cause oral problems for the user, such as Leukoplakia that creates white patches within the user’s mouth, which can soon turn into oral cancer. Oral cancers are cancers of the mouth, which can affect the throat and the voice box. Research shows that smokeless tobacco users are at a four times higher greater risk of developing oral cancer (NCI2, 2010). Smokeless tobacco can cause gum recession periodontitis, where the gums will recede and will not grow back. The periodontitis will leave the bony part of the teeth expose, while the smokeless tobacco can also cause gingivitis (Goldberg, 2005). Long-term users of smokeless tobacco, such as snuff can reach a point of 50 times greater risk of developing oral cancer (Cancer Prevention, 2008). The lesser oral effect of smokeless tobacco is bad breath, drooling, and tooth stains (NCI2, 2010).

Worldwide, tobacco-use continues to be one of the leading causes of preventable death and has been estimated to kill more than five million people annually1. Lately, the epidemic of tobacco-use has shifted from developed to developing countries2. It is estimated that by 2030 almost 10 million people will die from tobacco-use per year, with 70% of these deaths occurring in developing countries. India accounts for one-sixth of the tobacco-related illnesses worldwide and is estimated to face an exponential increase in tobacco-related mortality from 1.4% of all deaths in 1990 to 13.3% in 20203. In 2010, out of 52.8 million deaths that occurred worldwide out of which 34.5 million deaths were attributable to non communicable diseases; more than a quarter of these occur in low income and middle income countries4-5. Use of tobacco is one of the major risk factor for non-communicable disease which is slowly threatening human life5.

Cigarette smoking is something people all over the world have been doing for about 2000 years. Back in 2003, the first electronic cigarette was successfully created by a gentleman named Hon Lik. Lik was a 52 year old pharmacist at the time, whom of which was also a smoker. The inspiration behind making the electronic cigarette came after Lik’s father passed away from lung cancer due to him also being a heavy smoker. “A Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes.” cassia.org. Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association, 15 June 2017. The idea behind creating this device was to give smokers a way to still ingest nicotine, the most addictive chemical in tobacco cigarettes, without the countless negative health effects that

Although it remains a large portion of the U.S’ economy, tobacco smoking can lead to a variety of diseases and disorders that affect the user. The effects of smoking tobacco not only affect the user but surrounding people as well: permanently destroying their lungs and children, increasing the chances of diseases and of cancer.

Tobacco has been around for many years, and it should be stopped, but can the economy handle it. The tobacco is reaching young children, and not to mention the nonsmokers as well. The medical effects alone should convince people to stop smoking. Even if the people wanted to quit, it's hard because they are already addicted. If the health doesn't stop people from smoking the cost should because this year the tax on tobacco has gone up dramatically. So now the cost is weakening our pockets. The only ones that win in the tobacco field are the Tobacco Company, because they make all the money. If profits fall, all they have to do is advertise a little harder and profits will roll

Tobacco; one of the most profitable products in history, an addictive substance, and a deadly killer. Smoking tobacco used to be a thing that was endorsed in American society. Now, with the new medical advances and knowledge, society has seen the side effects of smoking and how fatal it actually is. Teenagers have been one of the largest age groups that have been affected by smoking. After analyzing all possible reasons as to why teenagers would smoke while knowing it can affect their health, three possible reasons stuck out the most. Teenagers smoke despite knowing the health problems that originate from smoking because of peer pressure, an “invincibility” mentality, and seeing a role model or family member smoke.

There are many dangerous side effects of smoking such as cancer, lung disease, heart failure and much more. There are also some minor effects such as yellow teeth, nicotine stains on fingers, bad breath and your home and body can constantly smell of smoke. Smoking is not only a danger to you but can be to others as well through passive smoking. Inhaling other peoples smoke can cause dizziness, eye irritation, headaches, coughing, nausea and sore throat. It also increases the risk of cot deaths and if a pregnant woman smokes it can affect the baby's development.