Smoking

The U.S government spends $1.8 billion in direct health care charges every year on smoking related illnesses.

1 in 4 adults and 1 in 5 teenagers in the U.S. are current smokers, and lung cancer remains the number one cancer killer among men and women. Although smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in our society, more deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.

Smoking not only affects people that smoke, but also causes harmful effects in nonsmokers exposed to it. More than 4,000 different chemicals have been found in tobacco and tobacco smoke and among these 60 are known to cause cancer (carcinogens). Some of the compounds found in tobacco smoke include ammonia, tar, and carbon monoxide.

If cigar smokers inhale, nicotine is absorbed through the lungs as quickly as it is with cigarettes. For those who do not inhale, the nicotine is absorbed more slowly through the lining of the mouth. Cigar smoke dissolves more easily in saliva than cigarette smoke, which means cigar smokers can get the desired dose of nicotine without inhaling the smoke into their lungs. Because cigars contain more tobacco than cigarettes, and because they often burn for much longer, they give off greater amounts of secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke from cigars contains many of the same toxins (poisons) and carcinogens (cancer causing agents) as cigarette smoke, but in higher concentrations.

Smokeless Tobacco: Tobacco that is put in the mouth is described by many different terms such as spit, oral, smokeless, chewing, and snuff tobacco. People who use oral or spit tobacco products absorb nicotine the same way. The juice from the smokeless tobacco is absorbed directly through the lining of the mouth and this causes sores and white patches called leukoplakia that often lead to cancer of the mouth. Other effects of spit tobacco include chronic bad breath, stained teeth and fillings, gum disease, tooth decay, tooth loss, tooth abrasion, and loss of bone in the jaw.

Hookah (or narghile) smoking has recently become popular among college campuses. It is marketed as being a safe alternative to cigarettes because the percentage of tobacco in the product smoked is low and people think the water filters out the toxins. However, this is not true as the water does not filter out many of the toxins. In fact, hookah smoke contains more toxins such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar, and other hazardous substances, than cigarette smoke. Several types of cancer have been linked to hookah smoking. Infectious diseases can be spread by sharing the pipe or through the way the tobacco is prepared.

Snus (sounds like "snoose") is a type of moist snuff which is often flavored with spices or fruit, and is usually packaged in thin bags much like tea bags. It is also sold loose, as a moist powder. Like snuff and other spit tobaccos, snus is held between the gum and mouth tissues where the juice is absorbed into the body. Because it is heated during processing, Swedish snus has fewer tobacco-specific nitrosamines that are known to cause cancer. Some people believe snus is "safe," but snus users have a higher risk of cancer of the pancreas than non-users. They also get sores or spots in the mouth (lesions) where the snus is held.

All forms of tobacco have a lot of nicotine. It is easily absorbed through the lungs with smoking and through the mouth or nose with oral tobacco (spit, snuff, or smokeless tobacco). All forms of tobacco are dangerous. Even if the health risks are smaller for some tobacco products as opposed to others, all tobacco products contain nicotine, which can lead to increased use and addiction.