No Tobacco Is Safe

Vaping:

• There are no clinical studies on the long-term use, but there is evidence that it be just as harmful as cigarettes.
• The product still needs approval of the FDA as a smoking cessation device, in fact  it has been refused many times by the FDA for lack of scientific evidence.
• Vaping may worsen a user’s nicotine habit, since it contains nicotine.
• Ingredients in an e-cigarette/vape have been known to cause gastrointestinal irritation and even brain damage.
• Users report cotton mouth, scratchy throat and coughing.
• Vaping raises heart rate and blood pressure.
• Nanoparticles from the vapor might be embedded in the lungs causing inflammation and raising infection risk.
• E-liquid contains aerosol, which is not just water vapor. It can contain nicotine, carcinogens and traces of metal and other chemicals.

(Sources: Termlifeinsurance.org, yahoo!Health, California Smokers Helpline)

Hookah (Water Pipe):

• The smoke of one water pipe produces as much carbon monoxide pollution as 17 to 52 cigarettes and as much tar as 27 to 102 cigarettes.
• Hookahs are every bit as addictive as cigarette smoking
• Tobacco liquids from hookahs irritate the mouth and increase the risk of developing cancers.
• 1 hour-long hookah smoking session = approximately 200 puffs, while smoking an average cigarette = 20 puffs.
• Infections may be passed to other smokers by sharing the mouthpiece, i.e. Oral Herpes, Tuberculosis, etc.
• The charcoal used to heat tobacco products contain high levels of carbon monoxide, toxic metals, and carcinogens.
• Users may be at risk for health problems, like lung cancer, reduced lung function and decreased fertility.

(Sources: French National Laboratory, Clevelandclinic.org, CDC, Rutgers.edu)

Smokeless Tobacco (Dip/Chew):

• Contains 28 cancer-causing agents.
• Causes cancer of the mouth, esophagus (the passage that connects the throat to the stomach), and pancreas (a gland that helps with digestion and maintaining proper blood sugar levels.
• May increase the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.
• Nearly 3 out of 4 daily chewers have leukoplakia, which is white patches in the mouth that can turn into cancer.
• Can cause your gums to pull away from the teeth, and the gum does not grow back from this.
• Over time the sugar in spit and chewing tobacco cause decay in exposed tooth roots.
• Contains a lot of sugar that can weaken teeth and increase the risk of cavities.
• Contains cadmium (used in car batteries), cyanide (Poison), arsenic (Poison), and lead.

(Sources: American Cancer Society, CDC)

Cigars/Cigarillos:

• Cigars have a higher level of cancer-causing agents, more tar, and higher levels of toxins than cigarettes.
• Smokers often use little cigars and cigarillos like regular cigarettes taking deep drags. This can make the health risks of cigar smoking worse.
• Cigar smoke dissolves in saliva. When the saliva is swallowed the esophagus is exposed to carcinogens.
• Cigar smoking is also linked to gum disease and tooth loss.
• Smoking one cigar can have as much nicotine as smoking a pack of cigarettes.

(Source: California Smokers Helpline)

Cigarettes:

• Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths.
• More than 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.
• Smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths.
• Cigarette smoking increases the risk of death from all causes in men and women.
• Smoking affects the health of your teeth and gums and can cause tooth loss.
• Smoking can increase your risk for cataracts (clouding of the eye’s lens that makes it hard for you to see).
• Smoking is a cause of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Causes 1300 deaths every day.
• Contains nicotine and tar.

(Source: CDC)

Imported Cigarettes:

• Smoke from an imported cigarette contains three to five times the amount of nicotine as a regular cigarette and places users at risk for nicotine addiction.
• Increases the risk for oral cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, and esophageal cancer
• Is associated with a more than threefold increased risk for coronary heart disease and acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
• Is associated with emphysema and a nearly fourfold increased risk for chronic bronchitis.
• Is associated with an increased risk for acute lung injury (i.e., lung damage that can include a range of characteristics, such as decreased oxygen, fluid in the lungs, leakage from capillaries, and inflammation), especially among susceptible individuals with asthma or respiratory infections.
• Imported cigarette smokers have 13 to 20 times the risk for abnormal lung function (e.g., airflow obstruction or reduced oxygen absorption) compared with nonsmokers.

(Source: CDC)