Tobacco Basics

Tobacco: What’s the Big Deal?
#1 Leading Cause of Preventable Death
Kills 1,200 Americans every day
That’s 450,000 Americans every year
Kills 3 million people worldwide every year
Tobacco Kills More Americans
Each Year Than
Alcohol
Cocaine
Crack
Suicide
Homicide
Heroin
Fires
AIDS
Car Accidents
COMBINED!
Young Blood
Each day, more than 6,000 people
under 18 try their first cigarette
Half of them will become daily smokers
1 in 3 daily smokers will eventually die from
smoking-related causes
What is Nicotine?
Nicotine (C10H14N2) is a naturally occurring
liquid alkaloid.
An alkaloid is an organic compound made out
of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sometimes
oxygen.
These chemicals have potent effects on the
human body. For example, many people
regularly enjoy the stimulating effects of
another alkaloid, caffeine.
Nicotine normally makes up about 5% of a tobacco plant, by
weight.
Cigarettes contain 8 to 20 milligrams (mg) of nicotine
(depending on the brand), but only approximately 1 mg is
actually absorbed by your body when you smoke a cigarette.
Nicotine in the Body
Nicotine readily diffuses through:
Skin (the Patch)
Lungs (Smoking)
Mucous membranes (Chew/Snuff/Dip)
Nicotine moves into the small blood vessels
that line the tissues listed above.
From there, nicotine travels through your
bloodstream to the brain, and then is delivered
to the rest of your body.
The most common and fastest way to get
nicotine into your bloodstream (within
10 to 15 seconds) is through inhalation -by smoking it.
How Does Your Body Get
Rid of Nicotine?
About 80 % of nicotine is broken
down by enzymes in your liver.
Nicotine is also metabolized in
your lungs.
The remaining nicotine is filtered
from the blood by your kidneys
and excreted in the urine.
Effects of Nicotine
Nicotine changes how your brain and your body
function.
Nicotine can both invigorate and relax a smoker,
depending on how much and how often they
smoke.
This biphasic effect is not uncommon.
Nicotine’s Effects on the Body
Nicotine initially causes a
rapid release of adrenaline,
the "fight-or-flight"
hormone. Causing:
* Rapid heartbeat
* Increased blood pressure
* Rapid, shallow breathing
Does Smoking Decrease Appetite?
Adrenaline also tells your body to dump some of its
glucose stores into your blood.
Nicotine itself may also block the release of the
hormone insulin.
Nicotine may also increase your basal metabolic rate
(BMR) slightly.
Over the long haul, nicotine can increase the level of
the "bad" cholesterol, LDL, that damages your arteries.
This makes it more likely that you could have a heart
attack or a stroke.
Nicotine and the Brain
In your brain, neurons are the cells that transfer and
integrate information.
A
synapse is the site
where two neurons
come into contact.
Communication between neurons is mediated by chemical
messengers, called neurotransmitters.
Acetylcholine
Nicotine works by docking to a subset of receptors
that bind the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Nicotine increases release of acetylcholine from the
neurons.
Through these pathways, nicotine improves your
reaction time and your ability to pay attention,
making you feel like you can work better.
Dopamine, Glutamate, and Endorphins
Nicotine promotes the release of the neurotransmitter
dopamine in the reward pathways of your brain.
Release of Glutamate, a neurotransmitter involved in learning
and memory.
Your brain makes more endorphins in response to nicotine.
Endorphins can also lead to feelings of euphoria.
The Dark Side of Nicotine
Annual Deaths Attributable to Cigarette Smoking
Lung Cancer
90% of lung cancer victims don't live beyond 5 years.
Emphysema
Macular Degeneration
Tooth Loss and Decay
Impotence
Gangrene
Smoker’s Palette
Wrinkles
Heart Disease
Forms of Tobacco
Cigarettes
Cigars
Chew
Bidis
Hookah
Cigarettes
#1 cause of fire-related deaths
Cigarette Smoke contains over 4,000 toxic substances
and 22 agents known to cause cancer
When you inhale, a cigarette burns at 700°C at the tip
and around 60°C in the core. This heat breaks down
the tobacco to produce various toxins.
As a cigarette burns, the residues are concentrated
towards the butt.
The Most Damaging Products:
Tar, a carcinogen (substance that causes cancer)
Nicotine is addictive and increases cholesterol levels in your
body
Carbon Monoxide reduces oxygen in the body
Components of the gas cause chronic obstructive pulmonary
disorder (COPD).
What’s in That Cigarette?
Acetone--------------------Nail Polish Remover
Ammonium----------------Toilet Cleaner
Arsenic---------------------Rat Poison
Butane---------------------Lighter Fluid
Carbon Monoxide---------Car Exhaust Fumes
Formaldehyde-------------Embalming Fluid
Hydrogen Cyanide--------Gas Chamber Poison
Cigars
More than 10 million Americans smoke cigars
Women and Cigars
Raquel Welch
Claudia Schiffer
Susan Lucci
Demi Moore
Cigars vs. Cigarettes
A single cigar often contains more nicotine than an
entire pack of cigarettes
Cigars have more than 25 times the secondhand smoke
as cigarettes
Cigars emit 22 times more carbon monoxide than
cigarettes
Cigar smokers have higher rates of mouth, tongue,
throat, and voice box cancer than cigarette smokers
Health Risks for Women Smokers
Women smokers are 3 times more likely to get lung cancer
than men
Women who smoke have twice the risk of cervical cancer
Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives are at
higher risk for stroke
Women smokers tend to have earlier menopause
Chew on This…
Smokeless Tobacco: Chew/Dip/Snuff
Of the 10 million users, 3 million are under 21
Tobacco industry sponsor rodeos, auto racing, and
tractor pulls.
1 Dip delivers the same amount of nicotine as 3-4 cigarettes
Causes Leukoplakia, precancerous white sores
or patches in the mouth
Other Effects:
Cancer of the mouth
Cancer of the pharynx
Gum recession
Bone loss
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Bidis
The “Poor Man’s Tobacco”
Bidis are filter-less cigarettes imported
from India.
They are wrapped in nonporous leaves and
sold in a variety of flavors.
Bidis, with their enticing aromas and low prices, have become
a new trend for today’s youth.
• Bidi smoke contains 3 times the the nicotine
and carbon monoxide and 5 times the tar
as smoke from regular filtered cigarettes.
• Due to the higher nicotine levels, bidis are
more addictive than normal cigarettes.
• Bidis are being mistaken for "healthy"
cigarettes because they look natural.
The truth is that they pose more of
a threat for throat, mouth and lung
cancer than regular cigarettes.
Women and children in India
work long hours for little pay
to supply the increasingly
popular bidi cigarettes.
On a good day,
women make 1,000 bidis,
earning about 80 cents.
Children are often forced
to sit on damp floors
to roll 1500 bidis a day
for less than $.30
The Hookah
Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Hookah
(Narghile, Hubble Bubble)
• Hookah pipes have been around for hundreds of years
• They originated in the Middle East
What’s Being Smoked?
Older Generations: Smoked Hashish and
Opium in the Hookah
Current Day: Shisha (aka Massell) is a
combination of foreign tobaccos, honey
molasses and dried fruit.
$2.00-4.00 per square
What is Shisha?
The shisha is not directly ignited but heated to a high
temperature using lit coals
Shisha is 30% tobacco and 70% fruit flavorings,
molasses, and/or honey
All major Shisha manufacturers list NICOTINE at 0.5%
and TAR at 0.0%.
Most cigarettes contain over 2.0% nicotine.
Health Effects of Hookah
Carbon Monoxide hazard is as high with Hookah
smoking as with Cigarette smoking
Hookah smoke is both
Clastogenic: capable of causing breakage of
chromosomes.
Genotoxic: damaging to DNA and capable of
causing mutations or cancer.
More Health Effects
Long-term health consequences of hookah pipe
use may include:
Nicotine
Addiction
Oral Cancer
Lung Disease
Heart Disease
Affects on the fetus
Secondhand smoke can affect
smokers and non-smokers alike.
Hookah vs. Cigarettes
Cigarettes: Usually take 8-12 puffs of .5-.6 liters
of smoke over 5-7 minutes.
Hookah: 50-200 puffs of .15-1 liter each over
20-80 minutes
Hookah user may inhale as much smoke in one
session as 100 cigarettes or more
Is It a Healthier Form of Smoking?
Passing the smoke through water may remove some
compounds, but many toxins remain in water-filtered
smoke.
Nicotine and carbon monoxide have been
shown to make it through a water filter.
Smoking hookah has been linked to heart disease, oral,
esophageal, and lung cancer
Smoking a Hookah doesn’t water down smoking-
related health risks
Tobacco and the Law
Only establishments that qualify as a “retail or
wholesale tobacco shop” may smoke indoors.
An indoor hookah bar in CA is legal if it is owner-
operated and has no employees
Only 25% of outdoor patio seating may be used for
smoking
Where the Needs
of Smokers and Non-Smokers Conflict,
the Need to Breathe Smoke-Free Air
Shall Have Greater Weight
Secondhand Smoke
A.K.A.- Environmental Tobacco
Smoke
SHS is the smoke exhaled from the
lungs of smokers (Mainstream
Smoke) and
The smoke that comes from the
burning end of a cigarette/cigar/pipe
(Side-stream Smoke).
You Don’t Have to Smoke to Inhale
SHS is the 3rd leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.
Kills 53,000 non-smokers every year
Exacerbates a number of pre-existing health conditions like:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Heart Disease
Associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
and low birth weight infants
Tobacco Statistics
California 2004
Adults: 15.4%
18-24 year olds: 18.3%
(CA’s highest smoking rate of any age group)
UCSB 2003
15.6% of UCSB students have not smoked in the last 30 days.
(But UCSB students perceive this # to be 90.7%)
8.4% of UCSB students smoke at least 3 days a week.
(But UCSB students perceive this # to be 54.2%)
Nicotine Addiction
Not everyone that smokes is addicted, but
roughly 60%-70% of regular smokers do
become addicted!
Nicotine addiction isn’t a linear phenomenon.
Researchers suggest that there is an addiction
tipping point, a threshold
“I Only Smoke When I Drink”
The federal government’s national health survey found
that a fifth of all smokers don’t smoke everyday.
There are millions of Americans who manage to smoke
regularly and not be hooked.
Occasional or social smokers are know as
CHIPPERS
“Chippers”
Chippers are people who are capable of smoking up to 5
cigarettes a day without getting addicted
Chippers’ smoking varies from day to day, including days of
complete abstinence.
Their smoking is not driven by withdrawal relief
Chippers may have the genes to derive pleasure from nicotine,
but not the genes to handle it in large doses.
Every smoker starts out as a chipper, in the early period, but
many move on to more dependent smoking.
Media Literacy
Name brands do not appear by accident
Increased exposure to an object/idea= increased
fondness for that object/idea
Less credible sources have increased influence
over time
Tobacco in the Movies
After declining over 3 decades, smoking in movies has
returned to levels comparable to those observed in the
1950’s and 1960s.
More than 85% of films contain tobacco use.
Brand appearances were as common in films suited for
adolescents as adults- 35%
Specific brands appeared in 20% of children’s movies.
Tobacco Portrayed as Affluent
The presentation of smoking in films remains pro-
tobacco, with only 14 % of tobacco screen-time
presenting adverse social/health effects of tobacco use.
Tobacco use in the movies is associated with youthful
vigor, good health, good looks, and personal and
professional acceptance.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Require that all movies containing tobacco use
be rated “R”.
Run anti-smoking spots during previews at
movie theaters.
Require that film makers publicly certify that
they are not receiving funding from the tobacco
industry