Health hazards of smokeless tobacco product on women.

According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use causes about 8 million deaths every year. Although tobacco users mainly smoke, but there has been a significant increase in the use of smokeless tobacco over a period of time. The main reason for this is the false propaganda that it is less harmful than smoking. Whereas the reality is that even smokeless tobacco affects your fertility, productivity, heart and lung health.

Its consumers are increasing rapidly in India

India accounts for 75% of the world’s share of smokeless tobacco consumption. Its use among women and girls has increased rapidly. It is worth mentioning that bidi and smokeless tobacco are not only the cheapest in India, but the tax on them is also the lowest. In such a situation, their trend has increased a lot. As far as health warnings are concerned, there is no such warning on bidis.

Although it is registered on smokeless tobacco products, but in English and that too in very small print. Meanwhile, the government continues to try to implement tobacco control policies, but the industry has so far managed to stall it in one way or another.

what do the figures say

According to the GATS survey, 12.8% of females over the age of 15 years consume SLT and in India, about 17% of females started consuming SLT before the age of 15 years compared to males (11%) I have more Smokeless tobacco use is more common among women whose partner or circle of friends uses tobacco.

According to a national survey, about 45.3% of female (smokeless tobacco) users would not have noticed health warnings on these products, which is significantly higher than that of males (21.5%).

Sometimes tobacco use It begins during pregnancy and is believed to be beneficial for health and provide relief from common pregnancy-related discomforts such as dizziness and nausea, constipation, etc.

What are smokeless tobacco products?

Smokeless tobacco products include chewing (consumption of dried tobacco leaves), oral or spit tobacco, snuff (finely ground dry or moist tobacco), mishri (baked or burnt ground tobacco) and gutkha (containing lime, betel nut, catechu and other spices). are mixed).

Studies have shown that using smokeless tobacco puts more nicotine into your bloodstream than smoking because it has to be held in your mouth for longer. Beedis also enter the body 3-5 times more nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide than traditional cigarettes. It has also been found that beedis contain 1.5 times more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than cigarettes.

Smokeless tobacco is more dangerous than smoking, know its dangers

Smokeless tobacco products mainly contain nicotine and many others. carcinogenic substances such as N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) found in tobacco, benzo pyrene[a]pyrene), nitrate, cadmium, lead, arsenic, nickel and chromium.

Consuming this type of tobacco can lead to nicotine addiction. Young girls can get addicted to it and even they can beat cigarette smokers in this matter.

1 Productivity is affected

In adolescents, nicotine use has adverse effects on several brain-controlled activities such as concentration, learning, mood, and impulse control. Because of this, they may get addicted to other drugs later on. N-nitrosamines (TSNA) increase the risk of serious diseases such as cancer of the mouth, esophagus and pancreas manifold.

Fertility decreases

In women, the use of smokeless tobacco can adversely affect many vital functions of their body, for example, ovarian function can be affected, its morphology can be affected, the quality of the cells that make eggs (oocytes) Can worsen and hormonal regulation is also affected.

Risk of early delivery

It affects the reproductive capabilities of women. During pregnancy, it may increase the risk of preterm delivery or stillbirth. It affects the brain development of the fetus before birth and also affects the health of the baby in the long term.

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4 Heart attack and stroke

Also, due to this, the risk of death from heart diseases and stroke can increase. This can lead to gray patches in the mouth (leukoplakia), jaw disease, tooth decay, and loss of bone around the teeth or teeth.

Risk of oral and lung cancer

In spite of all efforts not to promote tobacco products in any form, people are very little aware of the ill effects of smokeless tobacco. In India, bidi and smokeless tobacco are largely responsible for the rising cases of oral and lung cancer.

Smokeless tobacco is not a substitute for quitting smoking

Tobacco companies very cleverly market smokeless tobacco as an alternative to smoking in places where smoking is not permitted. Manufacturers of such products often claim or twist the facts to make it appear that these products help you get rid of smoking addiction.

While the truth is that it has not yet been confirmed that any smokeless tobacco product can get people out of smoking addiction. On the other hand, even if it helps people to come out of smoking addiction to some extent, it also causes other health risks and the risk of cancer etc. So, don’t get caught in the trap of a safe option, it can in itself make you a victim of addiction.

remember

Useful material, education and communication should be taken to inform about the ill effects of smokeless tobacco (SLT) as it is very important to protect our young generation, especially women and girls from being misled.

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