December 5, 2010 - As pointed out by Philip Morris USA public health authorities found smokeless tobacco products are addictive and can cause cancer, heart problems and diseases of the mouth, gums and teeth. Smokeless tobacco is strongly associated with leukoplakia—a precancerous lesion of the soft tissue in the mouth that consists of a white patch or plaque that cannot be scraped off. Also, smokeless tobacco is associated with recession of the gums, gum disease, and tooth decay.
A British American Tobacco (BAT) spokeswoman, Kate Matrunola, said some smokeless tobacco products like Swedish snus are less damaging than cigarettes, though “smokeless does not mean harmless.” Swedish Match - comments on the effect of snus on the oral mucosa.
The number of U.S. teenage boys using smokeless tobacco went up to 4.4 percent from 3.4 percent between 2002 and 2007, according to a nationwide survey published by the Department of Health and Human Services. Tobacco companies such as Philip Morris International Inc. and British American Tobacco Plc are selling more nicotine products that are sucked, not burned, in response to smoking bans.
In fact, sales of cigarettes continues to decrease while sales of smokeless tobacco are increasing every year by about seven percent. (Where's The Growth in Smokeless Tobacco Products..)
Recently the U.S.. FDA - unveiled proposed warning labels for cigarette packs..
Why not have graphic warning labels on cans of smokeless tobacco??
We provide a few examples of oral lesions. (In doing this little exercise we learned that American Snuff's Grizzly contains only 70% U.S. tobacco. American Snuff Company, formerly Conwood Sales Company LLC, is a division of Reynolds American Inc.)
A consortium of 10 health agencies - from the American Medical Association to the American Heart Association to the American Cancer Society -- have joined in a campaign to encourage Major League Baseball (MLB) to ban the use of smokeless tobacco in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. The group, led by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sent letters to commissioner Bud Selig and Michael Weiner, the head of the Players' Association, two weeks ago. The letter sent..
Let's not limit graphic warnings to cigarettes - any form of tobacco can lead to a life of addiction, chronic disease and premature death.
References: Health Agencies Urge MLB Tobacco Ban, Jeff Fletcher, provided by Fanhouse, San Francisco Chronicle, 12/3/2010; Two-Cent Chewing Tobacco for Kids Spreads Oral Cancer in India by Adi Narayan, Bloomberg.com, 11/29/2010.
0 comments:
Post a Comment