What's so bad about smokeless tobacco? It's not as bad as smoking right?
If you do an internet search you'll find articles that tell you how "safe" smokeless tobacco is... that couldn't be further from the truth. They'll tell you that the real danger to smoking is the "smoke" iteself and the tobacco just isn't dangerous - LIES!!!
Smokeless tobacco contains at least 3,000 chemicals, including many that you wouldn't want in your body. Like all forms of tobacco, dip & chew contain nicotine, an addictive drug that gets you hooked on tobacco. Holding one pinch of smokeless tobacco in your mouth for 30 minutes delivers as much nicotine as 3-4 cigarettes.
In addition, at least 28 cancer-causing chemicals have been identified in smokeless tobacco, including:
- nitrosamines - the most powerful cancer-causing agents in smokeless tobacco.
- Smokeless tobacco contains from 20 to 43,000 times more nitrosamines than other consumer products, such as beer or bacon!
- polonium 210 - a radioactive form of the element polonium
- formaldehyde - a chemical found in the fluid used to preserve dead bodies
- cadmium - a metallic element used in batteries
- arsenic - a poisonous element used in insecticides
The use of smokeless tobacco can cause:
- cancers of the mouth, pharynx (throat), and esophagus (the tube that carries food to the stomach)
- shrinking of the gums around your teeth
- cracked lips, white spots, sores, and bleeding in the mouth
- increased risk for heart disease and stroke
Still think that smokeless tobacco isn't dangerous?
