Smokeless tobacco is known by many other names like dip, chaw, chewing tobacco, plug and many others. It comes in moist, dry or powdered form. The two main types of smokeless tobacco are chew tobacco and snuff. They are either chewed or inhaled through the nostrils.
Smokeless tobacco use and addiction has become one of the major health concerns especially in the United States, where the number of adult smokeless tobacco users has been steadily increasing.
Smokeless tobacco use among adults
- 3.3% of Adults (aged 18 years and older)
- 6.5% of Men
- 0.4% of Women
- 4.3% of Whites
- 0.7% of African Americans
- 1.3% of Hispanics
- 7.0% of American Indian/Alaska Natives
- 0.6% of Asian Americans
Source: Original Source
Health effects of smokeless tobacco
Although cigarettes are known to be harmful and dangerous to health, not many are aware of the health impact of smokeless tobacco. It can be as risky, if not more, to health as smoking and cigarettes.
It is tobacco and so contains nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive. It is also very harmful to the body, especially if used regularly for an extended period of time.
Although it does not contain all the harmful chemicals contained in cigarette smoke, it still has other chemicals that are equally harmful. Also, the nicotine that is delivered to the body by smokeless tobacco is much much higher as compared to cigarettes.
It increases chances of various cancers like oral cancers, lung cancer, cancer of the esophagus, as well as decay of gums and teeth, receding gums and eventual loss of teeth.
Most people are ignorant of these ill effects and use smokeless tobacco regularly and in sizable quantities. This makes the addiction even worse as they are not aware of what they are doing to their body. Many end up with chronic and sometimes fatal illnesses and are too late to realize what smokeless tobacco can do to the body.
Smokeless tobacco, although not as popularized as smoking and cigarettes still has a large following among people. Many youngsters get into smokeless tobacco use as they want to look cool but are not keen on smoking. A lot many adults start using tobacco as a means to get rid of their smoking addiction and end up getting addicted to smokeless tobacco.
