Health effects of smokeless tobacco
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Smokeless tobacco is a tobacco product that is used by means other than smoking. It can be chewed, sniffed, or placed between the gum and the cheek or lip. Smokeless tobacco products are produced in various forms, such as chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, and dissolvable tobacco products
Smokeless tobacco products can contain nicotine, which is addictive.
Smokeless tobacco products cause cancer of the mouth, esophagus, and pancreas. These products can cause nicotine poisoning in children.
Smokeless tobacco is associated with many health problems. Using smokeless tobacco:
• Can lead to nicotine addiction.
• Causes cancer of the mouth, esophagus, and pancreas. The esophagus is the passage that connects the throat to the stomach. The pancreas is a gland that helps with digestion and maintaining proper blood sugar levels.
• Is associated with diseases of the mouth, such as leukoplakia and cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, or larynx.
• Can increase risks for early delivery and stillbirth when used during pregnancy.
• Can cause nicotine poisoning in children.
• May increase the risk for death from heart disease and stroke.
• Can cause serious health problems.
Protect your health; don’t start. If you do use them, quit. You can become addicted to smokeless tobacco.
Other problems associated with using smokeless tobacco:
• Smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, which is addictive.
• Nicotine affects the developing brain.
• Nicotine addiction may make it more likely to start using cigarettes.
• Young people who use smokeless tobacco may be more likely to also use cigarettes.
• Smokeless tobacco and cancer
• Smokeless tobacco causes cancer of the mouth, esophagus, and pancreas.
• Many smokeless tobacco products contain cancer-causing chemicals.
Chemicals in smokeless tobacco
The most harmful chemicals are tobacco-specific nitrosamines. These are organic compounds that may increase the risk of cancer. They form during the growing, curing, fermenting, and aging of tobacco. The amount of these chemicals present varies by product. The higher the levels of these chemicals, the greater the risk for cancer.
Other chemicals found in tobacco can also cause cancer. These include:
• A radioactive element (polonium-210) found in fertilizer used to grow tobacco and which is taken up into the tobacco plant.
• Chemicals formed when tobacco is cured with heat (polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons—also known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)
• Harmful metals (arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, nickel, mercury)
Smokeless tobacco and oral disease:
• Smokeless tobacco can cause white or gray patches inside the mouth (leukoplakia) that can lead to cancer.
• Smokeless tobacco can cause gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss.
Reproductive and developmental risks:
• Using smokeless tobacco during pregnancy can increase the risk for early delivery and stillbirth.
• When smokeless tobacco products are used during pregnancy the nicotine can affect how a baby’s brain develops before birth.
Other risks:
• Using smokeless tobacco increases the risk for death from heart disease and stroke.
• Smokeless tobacco can cause nicotine poisoning in children.