While cigarettes are the most popular type of tobacco product, there are also smokeless tobacco products used by many Minnesotans. Smokeless tobacco is any tobacco that isn’t burned, such as:
- Chewing tobacco
While these products are used differently than cigarettes, they still contain nicotine and are addictive. Nicotine in smokeless tobacco products is absorbed into the body from the mouth or nose, along with other compounds in the tobacco.
Smokeless tobacco products are less lethal than cigarettes: on average, they kill fewer people than cigarettes. But smokeless tobacco causes illness and premature death – tooth loss, gum decay, as well as cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus and stomach, to name a few. There are at least 28 cancer-causing chemicals in smokeless tobacco. And smokeless tobacco products have not been proven to help smokers quit.
Smokers who delay quitting by using smokeless products between cigarettes greatly increase their risk of lung cancer. They also set themselves up for new health problems caused by smokeless tobacco in addition to those caused by cigarettes.
To learn more about tobacco’s effects on your health, visit here: