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Tobacco
Miami University-A Smoke Free Campus:
President David Hodge accepted the recommendation to make Miami University a smoke free campus. Based on the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2006 report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke of 2006, there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. At the start of the Fall 2008 semester, smoking will not be permitted on the Miami University campus.
Cigarettes
Cigarettes are made of a variety of chemicals including formaldehyde, cyanide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and nicotine.
Nicotine is the active ingredient in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products which gives the users a “buzz” and leads to addiction.
Tar results from burning tobacco and increases the risk of lung cancer, emphysema, and bronchial disorders.
Carbon monoxide increases a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease.
Secondhand smoke
Secondhand smoke is the combination of the smoke emitted by the burning of the end of a tobacco product and mainstream smoke exhaled by smokers. It is a major cause of respiratory irritation and diseases in nonsmokers including lung cancer and coronary heart disease. More than 50 different carcinogens have been identified in the smoke that nonsmokers breathe in.
Smokeless Tobacco
There are two types of smokeless tobacco: chewing tobacco (loose leaf) and snuff (finely ground tobacco that can be dry or moist). Users of smokeless tobacco typically keep the tobacco in their mouth against their gums or cheek and absorb nicotine this way.
Smokeless tobacco causes a higher risk of nicotine addiction and dependence and users have a higher tendency to pick up smoking tobacco as well. Research has found that smokeless tobacco contains 28 carcinogens and contributes to cancer of the mouth. Other oral problems linked to smokeless tobacco include Leukoplakia (a soft tissue lesion of plaque that cannot be scraped off) and recession of the gums of the mouth.
Tobacco Mortality Statistics
1. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. It is attributed to roughly 438,000 deaths per year, or 1 out of 5 deaths overall.
2. On average, adults who frequently smoke cigarettes die 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.
3. More deaths in the United States are associated with tobacco use than the combined mortality figures of people with HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, suicides, and murders.
Smoking Cessation Help at Miami
Please contact the Health Services Center's Smoking Cessation Educator, Andrea Batdorf, RAM,to set up an appointment. batdoral@muohio.edu (513) 529-3000
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/Factsheets/;
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/tobacco.html
Websites for Tobacco
General Information:
•Smoking and tobacco use,
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/
•Tobacco.org Tobacco news and information,
www.tobacco.org
Quit Programs:
•Smoking cessation program with free registration,
www.ohioquits.com
•An online quide to help you quit smoking,
www.smokefree.gov
•Surgeon General, smoking cessation site,
www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/
Anti-Smoking Activism:
•GetOutraged, Interesting tobacco facts by the Massachusetts Department of
Public Health
www.getoutraged.com
•Debunkify, Debunking smoking myths in Ohio
www.debunkify.com/
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