TOBACCO ADDICTION IN NIGERIA

The problems brought about by tobacco addiction has become
A matter of concern in Nigeria. Youths have been getting them selves involved
With smoking, not only cigarettes, but also the dangerous stuff known as
Marijuana. The reason for smoking marijuana as the youths say it makes them
Brave, so that they can have the courage to do what ever they want without fear.
Statistics have shown that most of the youths caught in the act of stealing,
Raping and public disorder are those who smoke marijuana. Presently some states
In Nigeria are creating no smoke zones and restricting public smoking just in an
Effort to limit the use of tobacco. Tobacco is known to cause cancer and such
Related sicknesses and reports from many research organizations have been trying
To bring this awareness to the public and the government of Nigeria.
Even though most people know the danger caused by smoking tobacco,
The number of smokers increases every day. The tobacco producing companies
Are ready to spend what ever it takes to stay in business. The government of
Nigeria, in an effort to limit the production of tobacco, by increasing taxes
Found its self embarrassed, because the tobacco companies pay this heavy
Taxes and continue to remain in business. Tobacco is a very lucrative business
And it is one of the commodities found in the most remote places and villages
In the country. It is known that tobacco products have been in circulation in
Nigeria for over three centuries and so many people are used to its consumption
That the Government is finding it very difficult to stop.
Even though there is a statutory warning on every cigarette, saying
“Smoking is injurious to health,” the rate of consumption is alarming. Some
Youths take it as a form of pride to smoke, and those who keep off are forced
To smoke, if they have to keep company with the smokers. In some states in
Nigeria, the governors have banned smoking while driving, because they say it
Causes distraction, and can cause accidents.
To get addicted to any thing is caused by its continuous usage and an
Individual’s personal instinct. There is not much that the Government of Nigeria
Can do except to continue to hammer in the papers and television on the dangers
Of tobacco consumption. Those who want to heed to the advice will do so, and
Those who do not heed will bear the consequences of its out come.

Problem with EDIT

hey guys!!!!

This sanjaya. I have some problem with this blog. I tried to edit my previous post, it doesnot show edit icon there!!!! If u guys changed the password or there is some wrong with our blog???? What abotu our tomorrow's power point presentation?????

sanjay

TOLL OF TOBACCO IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Tobacco Use in the USA
• High school students who are current (past month) smokers: 23.0% or 3.5+ million [Boys: 22.9% Girls: 23.0%]
• High school males who currently use smokeless tobacco: 13.6% [Girls: 2.2%]
• Kids (under 18) who try smoking for the first time each day: 4,000
• Kids (under 18) who become new regular, daily smokers each day: 1,000+
• Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home: 15.5 million
• Workplaces that have smoke-free policies: 68.6%
• Packs of cigarettes consumed by kids each year: 800 million (roughly $2.0 billion per year in sales revenue)
• Adults in the USA who smoke: 20.9% or about 45 million [Men: 23.9% Women: 18.1%]
Deaths & Disease in the USA from Tobacco Use
• People who die each year from their own cigarette smoking: 400,000
• People who die each year from others' smoking (secondhand smoke & pregnancy smoking): 38,000 to 67,500
• Kids under 18 alive today who will ultimately die from smoking (unless smoking rates decline): 6,000,000+
• People in the USA who currently suffer from smoking-caused illness: 8.6 million
Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined, with thousands
more dying from spit tobacco use. Of the roughly 416,000 kids who become new regular, daily smokers each year, almost a
third will ultimately die from it. In addition, smokers lose an average of 13 to 14 years of life because of their smoking.
Tobacco-Related Monetary Costs in the USA
Total annual public and private health care expenditures caused by smoking: $96.7 billion
- Annual Federal and state government smoking-caused Medicaid payments: $30.9 billion
[Federal share: $17.6 billion per year. States share: $13.3 billion]
- Federal government smoking-caused Medicare expenditures each year: $27.4 billion
- Other federal government tobacco-caused healthcare costs (e.g. through VA health care): $9.6 billion
• Annual health care expenditures solely from secondhand smoke exposure: $4.98 billion
Additional smoking-caused health costs caused by tobacco use include annual expenditures for health and developmental
problems of infants and children caused by mothers smoking or being exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy or
by kids being exposed to parents smoking after birth (at least $1.4 to $4.0 billion). Also not included above are costs from
smokeless or spit tobacco use, adult secondhand smoke exposure, or pipe/cigar smoking.
Productivity losses caused by smoking each year: $97.6 billion
[Only includes costs from productive work lives shortened by smoking-caused death. Not included: costs from smokingcaused
disability during work lives, smoking-caused sick days, or smoking-caused productivity declines when on the job.]
Annual expenditures through Social Security Survivors Insurance for the more than 300,000 kids who have lost at
least one parent from a smoking-caused death: $2.6 billion
Other non-healthcare costs from tobacco use include residential and commercial property losses from smoking-caused fires
(about $400 million per year) and tobacco-related cleaning & maintenance ($4 billion, commercial only).
• Taxpayers yearly fed/state tax burden from smoking-caused gov't spending: $70.7 billion ($630 per household)
• Smoking-caused health costs and productivity losses per pack sold in USA (low estimate): $10.28 per pack
Tobacco Industry Advertising & Political Influence
• Annual tobacco industry spending on marketing its products nationwide: $15.4 billion ($42+ million each day)
Research studies have found that kids are three times as sensitive to tobacco advertising than adults and are more likely to
be influenced to smoke by cigarette marketing than by peer pressure; and that a third of underage experimentation with
smoking is attributable to tobacco company advertising and promotion.
• Annual tobacco industry contributions to federal candidates, political parties, and PACS: Over $3 million
• Annual tobacco industry expenditures lobbying Congress: Over $20 million
Tobacco companies also spend enormous amounts to influence state and local politics; and, when threatened by the federal
McCain tobacco control bill in 1998, spent more than $125 million in direct and grassroots lobbying to defeat it. Since 1998,
Altria (Philip Morris) has spent more on lobbing Congress than any other business.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, January 4, 2007 / Eric Lindblom & Katie McMahon

Substitutes for Tobacco Expansion
Ozone Protection Hotline (800) 296-1996
Substitutes are reviewed on the basis of ozone depletion potential, global warming potential, toxicity, flammability, and exposure potential. Lists of acceptable and unacceptable substitutes are updated several times each year. A chronological list of SNAP updates is available from the hotline. If your browser is unable to display tables, please call the hotline for a free paper copy.
Note: SNAP Notices and Final Rules published in the Federal Register take precedence over all information on the web site.
Acceptable Substitutes for CFC-11
Substitute
Comments
Carbon Dioxide
New equipment only.
Propane
Propane tobacco expansion is a patented process. Flammability may be of concern for workers. Major sources of VOC emissions are subject to the New Source Review (NSR) program under the CAA.

Side effect of Tobacco

Smoking and Oral Health






(Picture:-Somker)

http://www.petersonlawfirm.com/Info.Tobacco.html

Fact Sheet
Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking
Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body; causing many diseases and reducing the health of smokers in general.1 The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 438,000 deaths, or nearly 1 of every 5 deaths, each year in the United States. More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
Cancer
Cancer is the second leading cause of death and was among the first diseases casually linked to smoking.
Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in women and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in men. The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 23 times higher among men who smoke cigarettes, and about 13 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with never smokers.
Smoking causes cancers of the bladder, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), esophagus, cervix, kidney, lung, pancreas, and stomach, and causes acute myeloid leukemia.
Rates of cancers related to cigarette smoking vary widely among members of racial/ethnic groups, but are generally highest in African-American men.
Cardiovascular Disease (Heart and Circulatory System)
Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smokers are 2–4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.
Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person’s risk for stroke.
Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). Smokers are more than 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease.
Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Respiratory Disease and Other Effects
Cigarette smoking is associated with a tenfold increase in the risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung disease.7 About 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributable to cigarette smoking.
Cigarette smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including an increased risk for infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked. Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than never smokers.
Tobacco use
A harmful oral habit is the use of tobacco. Here are some oral problems that may occur with the use of tobacco.
Oral Side Effects of Tobacco
sticky tar deposits or brown staining on the teeth
smoker's palate' - red inflammation on the roof of the mouth
delayed healing of the gums
increased severity of gum disease
bad breath or halitosis
black hairy tongue
oral lesions
gum recession - with chewing tobacco at the site of the tobacco "wad", the gums react by receding along the tooth root, exposing the root
oral cancer
Hazards of Tobacco
One of the most devastating effects of tobacco is the development of oral cancer. Approximately 75% of all oral cancers in North America are associated with tobacco use and alcohol consumption. The risk of oral cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked each day and the number of years that the person has been smoking. Cigarettes are not the only oral habit that can cause oral cancer, all tobacco products, such as; smokeless/spit tobacco, cigars, and pipes are associated with oral cancer. The type of tobacco product will also dictate where the oral cancer can be located in the mouth. For instance, smokeless tobacco is linked to cancer of the cheek and gums.
Benefits of Tobacco Cessation
The most significant preventive measure used to prevent oral cancer is cessation of tobacco products. When a person stops using tobacco, the risk of developing oral cancer drops rapidly. In 10 years of tobacco use cessation, the risk is similar to an individual who has never smoked. Oral cancer can be prevented by choosing to be a non-tobacco user.
Quitting tobacco use is very difficult, since it is an addiction. There can be temporary withdrawal symptoms that occur a short period after your last tobacco use.
A few "quitting" aids have been found to help users. These aids decrease withdrawal symptoms and the craving for tobacco. Some examples are:
the nicotine patch
nicotine gum
nicotine inhaler
nicotine nasal spray All of these aids are beneficial if the individual is motivated to quite, and if used at the same time with counseling or self-help groups. Your dental office may offer a tobacco use cessation program as more and more dental offices are becoming involved in such programming. Other program sources may be medical and nursing associations, heart and lung associations, or even a community center.
Detection of Oral Cancer

Oral cancer can be detected in the early stages. Some signs and symptoms of oral cancer are:
swelling, lump, growth, or hardness in the mouth or neck. These lumps are usually painless
red or white patches in the mouth
repeated bleeding from the mouth or throat
difficulty in chewing or swallowing
Any sore that does not heal after 2 weeks should be checked out by your dentist or physician.
Visiting your dental professional regularly is a way to help diagnose or detect oral cancer. Dental hygienist and dentists are trained to detect abnormalities. If there are any abnormal tissue changes, the dentist or oral pathologist can take a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis. Most lesions are not cancer, but it is best to be safe if anything looks unusual.
To know the difference between a healthy mouth and any suspicious lesion, you can perform a monthly Oral Cancer Self Examination.
Remember, if the lesion or sore does not heal after 2 week, promptly see your oral health professional or physician. Early detection of cancer increases the chance of successful treatment.

Lung Cancer





Also called: Bronchogenic carcinoma
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. It is a leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. The more cigarettes you smoke per day and the earlier you started smoking, the greater your risk of lung cancer. High levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos exposure may also increase risk.
Common symptoms of lung cancer include
A cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time
Constant chest pain
Coughing up blood
Shortness of breath, wheezing, or hoarseness
Repeated problems with pneumonia or bronchitis
Swelling of the neck and face
Loss of appetite or weight loss
Fatigue
There are many types of lung cancer. Each type of lung cancer grows and spreads in different ways and is treated differently. Treatment also depends on the stage, or how advanced it is. Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

Published by: Sanjaya Timilsina

11/03/2004 Deaths due to poor diet and lack of exercise have risen by more than a third in the last ten years, said the US government this week, citing new research that suggests obesity could soon overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death, writes Lindsey Partos.In 2000, 400,000 American - one in 700 of the population - deaths were related to eating badly and physical inactivity, slightly under the 435,000 figure linked to tobacco, finds the new study released by the government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Americans need to understand that overweight and obesity are literally killing us," said Health Secretary Tommy G. Thompson yesterday unveiling a new government drive to stem the rising tide. Far from a revolution, the new HHS and Ad Council advertising campaign aims to educate Americans that they can take small, achievable steps to improve their health and reverse the obesity epidemic.
Consumers don't need to go to extremes - such as joining a gym or taking part in the latest diet plan - to make improvements in their health - but they do need to get active and eathealthier, said the health secretary, looking to slash the estimated $117 billion that obesity costs the US in medical fees and lost productivity each year.
Approximately 129.6 million Americans, or 64 per cent, are overweight or obese, a physical condition shown to increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
But solutions to the harmful consumption patterns of the Americans revealed by the study will not come overnight. They are rooted in a steady adaptation of the culture and in small steps to improve the consumer's relationship with food.
Paradoxically, parallel to the rise in obesity is the growing interest in functional foods formulated by the food industry. Suppliers of ingredients for health food products in the US, and Europe, have witnessed decent growth in this segment in the past five years. The campaign launched by Thompson this week will only further this growth as he enourages consumers to eat 'healthier foods'.
According to the $500 billion US food processing industry Americans spend an estimated $33 billion annually on weight control products.
For 2004 NIH funding for obesity research will come in at $400.1 million, a slight rise on $378.6 million last year. According to the government, the budget request for 2005 has been pitched at $440.3 million, a 10 per cent increase on the current year.
The .CDC study, "Actual Causes ofDeath in the United States, 2000", is published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.

This year's World No Tobacco Day campaign strikes at all forms of tobacco use, not just smoking. It is probably not widely known that all forms of tobacco - including "organic" cigarettes, hand-rolled cigarettes, cigars, pipes and snuff - are just as addictive and deadly.
The tobacco industry continues to develop new products and spend heavily on research into new "reduced-harm" products, all of which are still untested for long-term health effects. Meanwhile, users become addicted and the industry's market increases.
Historically, several techniques have been introduced to make supposedly safer cigarettes. To date, none has been proved to produce a safe product. The products that have been in use long enough for their associated health effects to be studied have been shown to remain deadly.
Hand-rolled cigarettes
Increasing numbers of people roll their own cigarettes, partly for cultural reasons and partly to save money owing to the rising costs (including taxes) of commercially manufactured cigarettes.
Bidis are small hand-rolled cigarettes. People tend to smoke them more intensively, puffing more frequently. This results in higher nicotine intake and cardiovascular effect than cigarettes, as well as 2-3 times greater tar inhalation.
Cohort studies have shown bidi smoking to result in high excess mortality from and high risk of the diseases caused by cigarette smoking. Bidi smoking has been associated with a risk of oral cancer three times that for people who have never smoked, and increased risk of cancer of the lung, stomach and oesophagus. Studies have also shown it to be an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The risk of thromboangiitis obliterans is greater with bidi smoking than cigarettes.
Cigars
Cigar smoking causes cancer of the lung, oesophagus, larynx and oral cavity. Even cigar smokers who do not inhale still have a lung cancer risk 2-5 times that of lifelong nonsmokers.
The risk of head and neck cancer and many other diseases is the same as for cigarette smoking. For instance, the relative risk of death from cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx is 7.9 among all cigar smokers, relative to lifelong nonsmokers. It increases with the number of cigars smoked per day to 15.9 in men who smoke 5 or more per day.
Merely holding an unlit cigar in the mouth exposes the user to tobacco and its poisons. This is due to the alkaline nature of the tobacco, as compared with the acidic tobacco of cigarettes. This makes it possible for nicotine to be absorbed even from an unlit cigar.
Pipes
Pipe smokers carry a substantially higher risk of diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, oral, head and neck cancer, laryngeal cancer, oesophageal cancer and lung cancer.
The relative risk for lip cancer associated with pipe smoking is 1.5. A study in China found that the odds ratio for oral cancer among pipe smokers is 5.7 in men and 4.9 in women. These estimates are greater than those associated with cigarette smoking.
Non-combusted "oral" or "smokeless" tobacco products
Oral products are a major form of tobacco addiction in some regions, including snuff or snus in Scandinavia. Their popularity is growing, following increasing marketing efforts by the tobacco industry.
Smokeless tobacco products contain addictive levels of nicotine and many carcinogens, heavy metals and other toxins, although the nicotine and toxin levels vary widely across products. Such products are highly addictive and can cause cancer of the head, neck, throat and oesophagus, as well as many serious oral and dental conditions.