Smokeless Tobacco And Second Hand Smoking: Expert Warns On Lesser Spoken Evils

All forms of tobacco are harmful and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco.

As per WHO, tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. Out of these around 7 million deaths are caused by direct tobacco use and the remaining 1.2 million deaths are caused by indirect exposure, non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. The dangers of tobacco are not limited to smoking cigarettes alone but also the smokeless forms. All forms of tobacco are harmful and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco.

Smokeless tobacco is a non-combusted tobacco product. All such products involve placing tobacco between the gum and the cheek or lip. Chewing tobacco is cured tobacco in the form of loose leaves or twists. Tobacco can also come in dry powdered forms where it can be sniffled through the nostrils. Smokeless tobacco is as addictive as smoking tobacco and contains chemicals that are more dangerous than you might think.

Second-hand tobacco smoking on the other hand is the smoke emitted from the burning end of a cigarette or other smoked products. More than 4000 chemicals have been identified in tobacco smoke.

Smokeless forms

According to Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, Director and Unit Head of Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Hospital (Faridabad) said more than 1 million people die in India, each year due to tobacco-related diseases.

He said: In India, smoking and smokeless tobacco both are common so we face a dual burden. According to a survey, the overall prevalence of smoked tobacco in India is close to 10 per cent and the overall use of smokeless tobacco is close to 21 per cent. This is huge and among the highest in the world.”

The expert informed that additionally, secondhand smoke can cause childhood asthma, increase the prevalence of childhood pneumonia and can even delay the normal growth of the lungs. Not only this, exposure to second-hand smoke in pregnant females can lead to poor lung development of the unborn child.

Epidemic of tobacco

As per Dr Jha, tobacco is the greatest epidemic the world has ever faced. It affects many organs of the body, including the heart, lungs, brain and oral cavity. Tobacco consumption can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, TB, interstitial lung disease, various cancers in different organs of the body, heart attack and even stroke. The incidence of cancer is nowadays more commonly seen in younger populations and females due to the increased burden of tobacco.

In his concluding statements, the expert said: “A very peculiar trend that we have noticed is the younger generation getting more fascinated with fancy alternatives of cigarettes like juul and vapes. These are very harmful and should be avoided at all costs. World No Tobacco Day is an opportunity to raise awareness among the public on the environmental impact of tobacco, and secondhand smoke exposure, and also to discourage the use of tobacco in any form.”