Smokeless tobacco is a broad term covering many types of tobacco not intended to be smoked, providing users with a hit of nicotine without the large numbers of chemicals found in combusted tobacco smoke. This term includes chewing tobacco (“dip”), dry snuff, and other new products such as “orbs,” dissolvable strips and sticks. Is also technically a form of smokeless tobacco, but is covered in detail on a separate page. Finding out more about the types of smokeless tobacco, the history of smokeless tobacco and the research into the health effects serves as an introduction to this form of.
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History of Smokeless Tobacco Like the history of most tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use can ultimately be traced back to the Native Americans. Tobacco is a native plant of both North and South America, and was used by the Mayans, Incans and Native American tribes for a variety of medicinal and ceremonial purposes. However, there is very limited evidence available on the specifics, and in many cases images appearing to depict tobacco use can’t be reliably interpreted. What is known is that from the arrival of the first Europeans in 1492, the traditional methods of tobacco use – chewing, smoking and sniffing – were emulated, and tobacco plants were brought back to Europe. It soon became popular across the continent, as with those who settled in the Americas.
In the colonial period, tobacco was a key commodity and was central to the economy, even being used as currency in Maryland and Virginia. The most widespread form of smokeless tobacco is simply chewing tobacco, which was popular in the 19th century and continued into the 20th century until advanced in technology made cigarettes a viable alternative. In the 1800s chewing tobacco was known as the “American habit,” and became closely associated with the rise of baseball. At the time, baseball players were using chewing tobacco just like everybody else was, but when cigarettes became more popular the baseball players weren’t too sure if smoking would affect their playing, so continued to chew. However, some high profile players died from oral and throat cancers, including Babe Ruth, as science was beginning to investigate the potential risks of chewing tobacco. Although smokeless tobacco fell from favor, there was a resurgence in its use in the 1970s when people begun to understand how dangerous combusted tobacco is. Its use remains popular, with research from 2012 showing that 3.5 percent of people aged 12 and over in the US had used smokeless tobacco in the last month.
Types of Smokeless Tobacco. Chewing Tobacco (“Dip”) – The simplest form of smokeless tobacco is chewing tobacco, in which a wad of loose tobacco is held in the mouth (between the teeth or gums and the cheek) and occasionally chewed, and the nicotine is absorbed into the mouth tissue.
After brown-colored saliva builds up, the accumulated liquid is spat out. Snuff – Snuff is a dry, powdered form of smokeless tobacco, which is usually sniffed up into the nose, but in the form of moist snus is used more like chewing tobacco (except without spitting) and is contained within a pouch. – Orbs, strips and sticks are other forms of smokeless tobacco, and are all fairly recent ideas revolving around finely ground tobacco that dissolves in the mouth of the user and provides nicotine in the process.
The differences in name merely represent the different shapes the mixture is available in. There are pharmaceutical equivalents of orbs (nicotine lozenges), but most of these products are produced by tobacco companies. Potential Health Effects of Smokeless Tobacco There are many concerns about health risks potentially associated with the use of smokeless tobacco. Much of this concern is related to the presence of tobacco-specific nitrosamines in products such as chewing tobacco, and it’s frequently suggested that there is an increased risk of oral and throat cancers. Other concerns include dental problems, cardiovascular disease and the potential effects when used during pregnancy.
Research into Smokeless Tobacco Health Risks. Oral cancers – The main focus of the research into the safety of smokeless tobacco has been the potential increase in cancer risk, especially oral cancer. There have been many pieces of research conducted on the topic, and covering a wide range of different cancers. In 2009, Peter Lee and Jan Hamling published a review of all of this available evidence into the association between smokeless tobacco use and cancers, accounting for the known risk factors of smoking and drinking alcohol. For oral cancer, the available studies which adjusted for smoking showed an increase in oral cancer risk of 36 percent compared to non-tobacco users.
When alcohol consumption was also considered, the increase in risk shrunk to the point of non-significance, and this same result was also obtained when researchers focused on studies on modern products (studies from 1990 onwards). In other words, smokeless tobacco doesn’t notably increase risk compared to non-tobacco users. At most, the increase in oral or facial cancer risk from is very minor. A recent piece of research from New England found a four-fold increase in risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma from 10 years or more of smokeless tobacco use (compared to non-tobacco-users), but this finding runs contrary to much of the epidemiological conclusions thus far, and would require further confirmation. Other cancers – The 2009 systematic review also reported risks for numerous other types of cancer, including esophageal, stomach, nasal, prostate, lung, kidney and all cancers combined, and found no significant increase in risk for anything other than prostate cancer. However, this part of the data comes from just four studies, and is unusual because prostate cancer isn’t usually associated with smoking.
Other research focusing on users of dry snuff has found increases in risk (compared to non-tobacco users) of between 4 and 13 times, but there are also concerns about the quality of the evidence on this issue. Orbs, lozenges, strips and sticks are assumed to have the same low risk profile in terms of cancer as snus and other forms of smokeless tobacco. However, variation between different products (dependent on contamination, manufacturing processes and other factors) means that some may carry a greater risk than others. Older US-made smokeless tobaccos appeared to have a greater increase in risk than those from Sweden, for example, but now the risks in either case are very small. Cardiovascular disease – There have also been numerous pieces of research investigating the potential risk of cardiovascular disease in smokeless tobacco users.
An increase in heart rate is a consequence of all nicotine consumption, but this appears to be related to the concentrations of nicotine in the blood. Because smokeless tobacco delivers less nicotine over a longer period than combusted tobacco, the corresponding increase in heart rate is smaller, and the impact on cardiovascular health also appears to decrease accordingly. Research looking at smokeless tobacco users over a course of 20 years found no significant increase in cardiovascular mortality of any kind compared to non-users, after adjusting for confounding variable such as smoking status. Smoking is related to cardiovascular deaths, but smokeless tobacco use is not. During pregnancy – The risk associated with smoking and pregnancy is also related to nicotine, so it’s generally advised to avoid all forms of nicotine consumption during pregnancy. There has been limited research into the effects of smokeless tobacco on developing fetuses, so the risks are currently unclear.
Some research from India found increases in the chance of stillbirth and lower birth weights when pregnant women used smokeless tobacco products, but the lower quality of Indian smokeless tobacco may be responsible. Some research on pregnant snus users in Sweden has found evidence of lower birth weights, but this finding needs to be corroborated, and the picture painted by research to date is generally unclear. For example, a piece of research focusing on snuff use during pregnancy didn’t find a significant decrease in birth weight. Dental and oral health – The potential effect of smokeless tobacco on dental health has also been investigated.
Leukoplakia is one concern, which is white patches on the gums on the inside of the cheeks, and there is a definite relationship with smokeless tobacco use, even been observed to relate to the position the tobacco is held. The condition disappears after smokeless tobacco use is stopped, and although there are related cancer concerns, the overall evidence on the issue indicates that this isn’t a significant risk for smokeless tobacco users. Gingivitis and periodontitis are concerns with chewing tobacco use, but there is no association with gum recession (in the absence of pre-existing gingivitis). Research has shown an association between the decay of root surfaces of the teeth and chewing tobacco use, more so than in non-tobacco users and even smokers, which may be a consequence of the sugars added or the impact on enzymes in the mouth. Nasal snuff users, as may be expected, didn’t show this effect. Legal Status Although smokeless tobacco is legal in the vast majority of places around the world, snus has been banned in the EU, although Sweden is exempt from this rule.
Resources General:. Research:. Systematic review of the relation between smokeless tobacco and cancer in Europe and North America. Smokeless tobacco and risk of head and neck cancer: evidence from a case-control study in New England.
Smokeless tobacco use and cancer of the upper respiratory tract. Public Health Implications of Smokeless Tobacco Use as a Harm Reduction Strategy. Chronic disease mortality in a cohort of smokeless tobacco users. Tobacco and myocardial infarction: is snuff less dangerous than cigarettes?. The influence of maternal cigarette smoking, snuff use and passive smoking on pregnancy outcomes: the Birth To Ten Study. Smokeless tobacco use, birth weight, and gestational age: population based, prospective cohort study of 1217 women in Mumbai, India. The Effect of Swedish Snuff (Snus) on Offspring Birthweight: A Sibling Analysis.
Chewing tobacco use and dental caries among U.S. Nasal Snuff: Historical Review and Health Related Aspects.
Comments: Appparently this company was sold and is no longer in Ohio, it is now in NY with new owners. Anyway, tried their menthol ecig and it was very good! Prices are very reasonable and I really love the fact that the liquid is all USA ingredients made at their business. I'm picky about that. Logitech vx nano receiver driver. So they also started selling some of the mods and tanks I was learning about and again, I found their prices very reasonable, so I tried an eGo Twist 1100 and their eliquid and I loved it.
I've actually been tobacco free since February!! They just put up a new website and are adding products, they have a ton of flavors and customer service is top notch!
My favorite flavor was not yet on the website so I called and quick and easy got my stuff! Nice company and nice people!. Disclosure: “We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best.
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Contents. Manufacturer Description. Skoal Smokeless Tobacco Sticks is a spit-free, smokefree tobacco product. Skoal Sticks is finely-milled tobacco coated on a 2.5 inch birch wood dowel. 10 smokeless tobacco sticks per pack.
Product Offerings: Rich Tobacco Sticks, Original Tobacco Sticks, Cool Mint Tobacco Sticks, Smooth Mint Tobacco Sticks Claims UST is introducing Skoal Smokeless Tobacco Sticks because many adult smokers are interested in smokeless tobacco alternatives to cigarettes. Images Skoal Smokeless Tobacco Sticks.
Compared to cigarette smokers, users of smokeless tobacco are exposed to equal or higher levels of nicotine and NNK, a cancer-causing chemical in tobacco products, according to a study from the U.S. More research is needed on the toxic components of smokeless tobacco products and the health of people who use them, write the researchers from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'It’s not uncommon for people to use smokeless tobacco as an alternative to cigarettes in an attempt to wean themselves off smoking,' said Dr. Frank Leone, who is director of the University of Pennsylvania's Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Program in Philadelphia. 'There are much safer ways to substitute sources of nicotine.' Patches, gum and inhalers are all types of alternative nicotine sources, said Leone, who wasn't involved with the new study. 'There really is no safe form of tobacco,' he told Reuters Health. 'Even types of tobacco that may be theoretically safer because of their mode of delivery really depend on user specific details,' such as how much and how long people use tobacco products.
Smokeless tobacco - which includes chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, snus and dissolvable tobacco - was used by about 7 percent of U.S. Adult males between 2012 and 2013, the researchers write in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. While it had been suggested that users of smokeless tobacco are exposed to high levels of nicotine and cancer-causing agents, there were few studies looking at those levels in people across the U.S., they write.
For the new study, the researchers analyzed information from 23,684 participants in national health surveys between 1999 and 2012. Using data from blood and urine samples, they looked for markers used to measure the addictive stimulant nicotine and cancer-causing NNK. They found the level of cotinine, which is a marker for nicotine exposure, was 0.043 nanograms/milliliter (ng/ml) in nonsmokers, compared to about 180 ng/ml among smokelesstobacco users, about 131 ng/ml among cigarette users and about 184 ng/ml among people who used both smokeless tobacco and cigarettes. Levels of NNAL, which is a marker for NNK exposure, were about 0.98 micrograms per liter (ug/L) in nonsmokers, compared to 583 ug/L among smokeless tobacco users, about 218 ug/L among cigarette users and about 430 ug/L among people using both smokeless tobacco and cigarettes. 'The causes of these differences in exposure between cigarette and smokeless tobacco users are not entirely understood,' write the researchers.
The lead author, Brian Rostron, was not available for interviews, the FDA said. Helen of the University of California, San Francisco's Division of Clinical Pharmacology told Reuters Health that the new findings don't mean smokeless tobacco is necessarily more harmful than cigarettes. 'With tobacco smoke, there area lot of chemicals produced during combustion,' said St.
Helen, who wasn't involved with the new research. He added that there are also variations in the NNK levels within different smokeless tobaccoproducts. Recently, the FDA approved the sale of eight new smokeless tobacco products, which are thought to be a less-toxic option for tobacco users (see Reuters story of Nov. 10, 2015 here: Dorothy Hatsukami, who studies tobacco at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, said research like this is important to educate consumers, evaluate the health of the nation and determine public policy. For example, she told Reuters Health, tobacco products can be regulated by the FDA depending on their ingredients. 'It would seem to me this evidence supports why that would be appropriate,' said Hatsukami, who wasn't involved with the new study.
SOURCE: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, online November 18, 2015.
Contents. Manufacturer Description The dissolvable products - a pellet (Camel Orbs), a twisted stick the size of a toothpick (Camel Sticks), and a film strip for the tongue (Camel Strips), are made from finely ground flavored tobacco. The products melt in the mouth within three to 30 minutes. RJR said the Strips melt fastest, the toothpick-like Sticks dissolve in about 10 minutes, and the pellet-size Orbs last the longest.
The nicotine delivery of the products is said to be high: whereas a cigarette smoker typically takes in about 1 milligram of nicotine, the Camel Dissolvables are said to deliver about 0.6 to 3.1 mg of nicotine each. Reynolds released Camel Orbs in the Selected Cities: at Super Speedway in Columbus, Ohio, and Indiana polis, Indiana, and the Plaid Pantry in Portland, Oregon. Camel Sticks, flavor mellow, will be released in Spring 2009, and the Strips in the flavor fresh will be release in summer 2009. Nation Release date is undisclosed. Claims. The best tobacco you never smoked. Face the future Join the Movement.
Revolution in Pleasure. No Spitting Required. Dissolves in your mouth Images Camel Sticks Strips and Orbs.