Are you a current tobacco user? If so, today is the day you can QUIT!

Tobacco Facts Guide

Did you know, your health plan includes benefits to help you quit. Tobacco cessation counseling visits are now UNLIMITED! Please Click Here to learn more about resources to help you Quit today.

Did you know?

•1 in 5 deaths each year in the United States is caused by cigarette smoking. Additionally 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States.

•There is a 2-4 times greater risk of heart disease and stroke if you are smoking.

•Men increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 25%. Women increase their risk by 26%.

What does smoking do to my body?

Smoking damages blood vessels, making them thicker and more narrow. This makes your heart beat faster and your blood pressure go up. Due to these changes, blood clots can form putting you more at risk for stroke. It also affects your lungs causing a disease called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are types of this disease. Lungs become damaged making it difficult to breathe with many people requiring supplemental oxygen. Source: CDC

What are the benefits of quitting?

•You will live longer! On average nonsmokers live 13-14 years longer than smokers.

•You'll help others live longer! The number of people who die each year as a result of secondhand smoke is approximately 49,000.

•You will save money! Cigarettes cost a lot, approximately $6 per pack. However, a one-pack-a-day smoker can save $12,775 per year by NOT smoking.

Source: The Quit Link

If you are not a smoker but live with a smoker, you may be exposed to secondhand and thirdhand smoke.

What is secondhand smoke?

•Secondhand smoke (SHS) is also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). SHS is a mixture of 2 forms of smoke that come from burning tobacco: side stream and main stream smoke.

•Side stream smoke: Smoke from the lighted end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar.

•Main stream smoke: The smoke exhaled by a smoker.

•Nonsmokers who breathe in SHS take in nicotine and toxic chemicals by the same route smokers do. The more SHS you breathe, the higher the level of these harmful chemicals in your body. Side stream smoke has higher concentrations of cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) and is more toxic than mainstream smoke. These smaller particles make their way into the lungs and the body's cells more easily.

Why is secondhand smoke a problem?

Secondhand smoke causes cancer and is classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent).

What is thirdhand smoke?

Many people are familiar with secondhand smoke, but often have not heard of thirdhand smoke. Thirdhand smoke is nicotine residue that resides on surfaces where smoking has taken place. For example, thirdhand smoke can linger on walls, doors, carpets, clothing, furniture, and other materials long after smoking has occurred. Thirdhand smoke can be inhaled when it is re-emitted through dust in the air.

Who can be affected by thirdhand smoke?

Thirdhand smoke primarily affects individuals who live in home or other indoor environments that were previously used by long-term smokers. Babies, toddlers and children are at the greatest risk of negative health effects due to third hand smoke because they have greater absorption through their skin, have greater hand/object/mouth contact, and inhale more frequently than adults. For example, a child who is crawling on a carpet polluted with tobacco smoke is coming into contact with thirdhand smoke with their skin, and then are likely putting their hands and/or objects into their mouths, therefore ingesting toxins.

How can I avoid thirdhand smoke?

Here are some recommendations to minimize potential health effects of thirdhand smoke:

•Avoid indoor environments that were used by long-term smokers.

•Avoid smoking in indoor locations and in vehicles.

•Replace carpets, furniture, ventilation systems, etc. in homes that have a history of long-term smoke exposure.

Sources:

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/vaping-devices-electronic-cigarettes
https://2022.neha.org/eh-topics/air-quality-0/third-hand-smoke

What are e-cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), vapes, vaporizers, vape pens, hookah pens, or e-pipes are some of the terms used to describe electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). These nicotine delivery systems are noncombustible tobacco products. When in use, the liquid is heated to create an aerosol that can be inhaled. E-cigarettes can also be used to inhale marijuana and other substances.

What's in e-cigarettes?

The aerosol produced by e-cigarettes can contain harmful substances, such as:

•Nicotine.

•Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs.

•Flavorings, some of which are linked to serious lung diseases.

•Volatile organic compounds.

•Cancer-causing chemicals.

•Heavy metals such as tin, nickel, and lead.

What do e-cigarettes or vaping devices look like?

Electronic cigarettes may look like conventional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. However, manufacturers have also engineered ENDS to resembles pens, USB drives, and even sweatshirt strings.

For more information, here is a link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's E-Cigarette or Vaping Products Visual Dictionary.

What are the dangers of using e-cigarettes?

E-cigarettes are a relatively new product, and scientists are still learning more about the long-term health effects of their use.

However, here's what we do know:

•Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine which is known to be:
     -Highly addictive.

     -Toxic to developing fetuses.

     -Harmful to brain development in adolescents and young adults.

     -Dangerous for pregnant women and their developing babies.

•E-cigarette aerosol includes cancer-causing chemicals.

•E-cigarettes can cause unintended injuries. For example, defective e-cigarette batteries have caused fires and explosions, some of which have caused serious injuries.

•Nicotine exposure can be toxic. Children and adults have been poisoned by breathing, swallowing, or absorbing e-liquid through their eyes or skin.

Sources:

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/vaping-devices-electronic-cigarettes
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/about-e-cigarettes.html
https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/products-ingredients-components/vaporizers-e-cigarettes-and-other-electronic-nicotine-delivery-systems-ends

Want more information on how vaping can affect your dental health? View a presentation by Sherry A. Laliberte, RDH, IPDH from the Maine School Oral Health Program.