Ever since people started to really be aware of the dangers of smoking tobacco, there has been a huge boom in popularity of smokeless tobacco. The misconception is that because there is no burning of the tobacco, that there is less risk of cancer and other nasty side-effects that smoking tobacco brings with it. But the dangers of tobacco in smokeless form aren’t any less than in cigarette form, simply different. Smokeless tobacco presents very serious health risks of its own. So let’s take a look at the world of smokeless. We’ll examine the different types, the health risks and current news surrounding it.
Types of Smokeless Tobacco
Smokeless tobacco products come in a wide range. There are the old classics like snuff and chewing tobacco, but there are also the new hits lik Snus and dissolvable tobacco. Let’s take a look at all the different types and what they consist of.
Chewing Tobacco – Chewing tobacco has always been extremely popular. You can tell chewing tobacco users by the cup or can (full of spit) that they hold in their hand and the more than inconspicuous lump of chew shoved between their lip and gums. Chewing tobacco is loose tobacco leaves that are packaged in those round, thin tins you often see around.
Snus – Snus is actually pronounced as if there are two oo’s instead of a u. Snoos. It’s not only a smokeless tobacco product, but spitless too! It’s bagged tobacco leaves that you shove between your upper lip and gum. It absorbs into your gums without you having to spit out any excess material.
Snuff – Snuff is a much older form of smokeless tobacco. It’s a dried, finely ground, almost powdered form of tobacco. You can either use snuff the same way as chewing tobacco – tucking it between lip and gums – or you can actually snort it into the nose. Dipping is another word for using snuff.
Dissolvable Tobacco – Dissolvable tobacco are probably the least common form of smokeless tobacco. They are little, hard candies of compressed tobacco. They dissolve right in the mouth and, like Snus, don’t require any spitting. Dissolvable tobacco isn’t to be confused with nicotine lozenges. Nicotine lozenges are a quit-smoking product and don’t actually contain any tobacco.
The State of Smokeless Tobacco
The misconceptions about smokeless tobacco as almost risk-free were created and have been furthered by huge marketing campaigns from Big Tobacco, particularly by Altria (previously known as Phillip Morris). Altria recently made waves in the smokeless industry with a gigantic, 10.4 billion dollar purchase of the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (UST). UST produces the largest smokeless tobacco brands in the world – Skoal and Copenhagen chewing tobacco.
What does this say about the state of smokeless tobacco popularity in the United States? It says that Big Tobacco is trying to get into the smokeless game. Their cigarette sales are falling further and further down as people become more aware of the horrible effects of smoking tobacco. To catch back up, they are ceasing the opportunity to play on people’s perception of smokeless tobacco as a much lower risk than smoking. But the unfortunate thing is that, as much money as it will make for Altria, it simply isn’t less risky to use these smokeless tobacco products.
Dangers of Smokeless Tobacco
Now that we know all the different types of smokeless tobacco and how Big Tobacco is using it to their advantage, let’s take a look at the risk of using them.
Various Cancers
The risk of oral cancer for smokeless tobacco users is a serious issue. It may not be as high as the risk of lung cancer for smokers, but it’s nothing to snicker at. All tobacco contains at least 28 known carcinogenic chemicals. The most risky form of carcinogens in tobacco are known as “nitrosamines”. They are formed as the tobacco is grown, cured, fermented and aged. But not only are smokeless tobacco consumers at risk of oral cancer, but also pancreatic and esophageal.
Oral Issues
The mouth of a person who uses smokeless tobacco is not going to be a very appealing mouth. Products like chewing tobacco, snus and snuff all cause nasty oral lesions. Oral lesions are not only painful, but they lead to the development of the oral cancer that we talked about earlier.
Wrapping UP
So, when it comes down to it, it seems that smokeless tobacco is not a great alternative to its smokeable cousin. There are just as many dangers to chewing the stuff as there is to smoking it. If you’re interested in quitting tobacco altogether, than a great solution is electronic ‘Smokeless” cigarettes. You can find more information about e-cigarettes all over our website. Have a great Day!
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