Somking During Pregnancy

Smoking during pregnancy results in serious risks for both the woman and the fetus. Cigarette smoking by pregnant girls and women has been shown to increase risks of complications in pregnancy and to cause serious adverse fetal outcomes including low birth weight, still births, spontaneous abortions, decreased fetal growth, premature births, placental abruption, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

How are unborn babies affected?

1. Smoking can be dangerous for babies before they are born. Nicotine, carbon monoxide and other chemicals in tobacco smoke are passed on to the baby through the placenta.1

2. Nicotine increases a baby's heart rate and breathing movements. Some of the chemicals passed on through the mother's blood are known to cause cancer.2

3. During pregnancy, smokers have a greater risk of miscarriages. During the birth, they are more likely to have complications.3 The chances of a baby's dying at birth or shortly thereafter are increased if the mother has smoked during pregnancy.

4. Babies of women who smoked or were exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke during pregnancy are, on average, smaller at birth than babies of non-smoking mothers. Smoking mothers give birth to infants who weigh about 150 grams less at term than non-smokers. Babies born with a lower-than-average birth weight are more likely to get infections and have other health problems.

5. A clear relationship exists between the number of cigarettes smoked during pregnancy and a slowdown in the growth of the fetus. These babies are more prone to perinatal complications, illnesses and death.

Side-effects: Newborns

1. Later in life, children of mothers who smoked during prenancy have a greater chance to be a bit shorter than other children on average. In additon, these chldren may have more diffculty with reading and mathematics.

2. Nursing mothers who smoke can pass along harmful chemicals from cigarettes to their babies in breast milk.

Parental Smoking

1. Children exposed to tobacco smoke tend to cough more during the night, due to long-time exposure to tobacco smoke.

2. Children of parents who smoke are more likely to suffer from astma and other respiratory infections.

Addiction

In 1988, the U.S Surgeon General concluded that niccotine found in tobacco is addictive. The three major findings were:

1. Cigarette smoking and other forms of tobacco use are addictive
2. Nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction
3. Nicotine addiction is similar to heroin or cocaine addiction.

How nicotine works

Nicotine causes chemical or biological changes in the brain. It is a 'reinforcing' drug, which means that users desire the drug regardless of the damaging effects. For example, in research conducted in 1994, only 50% of smokers who suffered a heart attack managed to quit smoking even though their doctors advised them to. Coincidentally, 50% of all regular smokers die as a result of smoking.

Nicotine addiction is a physical dependency. Withdrawal symptoms are severe and most smokers cannot quit on their first attempt because of these symptoms.

The human body builds a tolerance to nicotine and the effect of the drug is reduced over time. As a result, regular smokers can inhale greater amounts of smoke and therefore greater amounts of toxins, without showing immediate effects (ie coughing, nausea).

Smokeless Tobacco

What is spit tobacco?

Spit tobacco is a mixture of tobacco, nicotine, sweeteners, abrasives, salts and chemicals.
Spit tobacco comes in two basic forms:

1. Chew is a leafy tobacco sold in pouches. Plug tobacco, which is sold in brick form, is also a form of chew.

2. Snuff is finely ground tobacco in powder form that is sold in small tins. Some people sniff it, but the more commonly used form is moist snuff, which is held between the cheek and gum.

Who uses spit tobacco?

Spit tobacco use is higher in the prairies than in the rest of Canada. Athletes, Aboriginals and rural males are the groups who use spit tobacco the most.

Most spit tobacco users start around age nine or ten. Spit tobacco products are often flavoured with licorice, cherry, mint or wintergreen, and sweetened with molasses or sugar - flavours that are appealing to children.

Can using spit tobacco harm my health?

Spit tobacco has over 3,000 chemicals, including 28 known carcinogens. Spit tobacco is not a safe substitute for cigarettes and can harm your health in many ways.

1. You can develop cancer of the mouth (lip, tongue, and cheek, floor and roof of the mouth) and throat.

2, Leukoplakia (white, leathery sores) may develop where tobacco is held in the mouth, such as the cheeks, gums or tongue. The longer you use spit tobacco, the more likely you are to get sores. These sores can turn into cancer of the mouth.

3. You may experience increased heart rate, higher blood pressure and irregular heartbeats.
You can become addicted to nicotine. Spit tobacco is addictive because it contains the drug nicotine. In fact, spit tobacco contains more nicotine than cigarettes do.

4. Constricted blood vessels (caused by the nicotine) can slow your reaction time and cause dizziness. You can also develop tooth and gum disease including cavities, lost teeth, bad breath and painful sores.

5. Using spit tobacco can cause bone loss around teeth and create worn spots or abrasions on the tooth surface. Gums injured from the chemicals in spit tobacco will pull away from your teeth, leaving them sensitive to hot and cold. This kind of damage is permanent.

Second-hand Smoking

Second-hand smoke is also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or passive smoke.

Second-hand smoke is made up of:

1. Sidestream smoke that goes directly into the air from the end of a burning cigarette, cigar or pipe.
2. Mainstream smoke that is inhaled by the smoker first, then exhaled into the air.

Did you Know?

1. A non-smoker in a smoky room is inhaling the same chemicals as a smoker.

2. Second-hand smoke has been labelled as a "Class A" cancer-causing substance in the United States. Class A is considered the most dangerous type of cancer agent and there is no known safe level of exposure.

3. Smoking in a closed-in space such as a car greatly increases the concentration of harmful chemicals produced by secondhand smoke.

4. Second-hand smoke contains the same 4,000+ chemicals that are inhaled by a smoker. About 50 of these chemicals are associated with, or are known to cause cancer.

5. Some of the toxic and cancer causing agents found in second-hand smoke include hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde and benzene.

Public Smoking Bans in Canada

In addition to the federal Tobacco Act, which regulates the manufacture, sale, labelling and promotion of tobacco, each province has its own set of laws that address, among other issues, smoking in public places. Provincial that restrict smoking in public places help non-smokers breathe easier; reduce overall smoking behaviour; generate increased public awareness about tobacco issues; and help to change social norms related to smoking.

The number of provinces and territories that are restricting smoking in public places continues to grow, as more and more Canadians are realizing that second-hand smoke- also known as passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke - is too damaging to ignore. Exposure to second-hand smoke can cause health problems such as lung cancer, heart disease, asthma and strokes.

Public Smoking Ban in Ontario

The Smoke-free Ontario Act, prohibits smoking in all public places and workplaces across the province effective May 31, 2006. The Act also prohibits smoking in vehicles used for work, in reserved seating at open-air stadiums, and in underground parking. In addition, the Act gives shopkeepers until 2008 to remove large behind-the-counter displays of cigarettes.

Tobacco (Access) Regulations

The "Tobacco Act" prohibits the sell of tobacco products to young persons (18 years of age or less) and requires retailers of tobacco products to post signs that inform the public that furnishing tobacco products to young persons is prohibited by law. These regulations specify the place, manner, form and content of signs to be posted in retail outlets. The regulations also set out the documentation that may be used to verify the age of the person purchasing tobacco products and exempt duty-free shop operators.

Proof of Age

Only the following documentation can be used to verif the age of a person (choose one):

1. A driver's licence
2. A passport
3. A certificate of Canadian citizenship that contains the person's photograph
4. A Canadian permanent resident document
5. A Canadian Armed Forces identification card
6. Any other documentation that is issued by a federal or provincial authority or a foreign government, and contains the person's photograph, date of birth and signature.

Effects of Smoking

Long Term Effects of Smoking

Short Term Effects of Smoking

Short Term Effects of Smoking

1. Foul breath
2. Stained teeth and fingers
3. Coughing
4. Reduced or loss of taste and smell
5. Reduced appetite
6. Weaker immune systems against colds and flu with longer recoveries

Longer Term Effects of Smoking
1. Lung Cancer: Lung cancer is the leading cause of death due to cancer in Canada. Smoking is the single most important preventable cause of lung cancer. Smoking causes genetic changes in the cells of the lung; these changes lead to the development of cancer.

2. Bladder, Pancreatic and Other Forms of Cancer: Research shows that smoking tobacco can lead to respiratory and upper digestive tract cancers, particularly cancer of the mouth, throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx) and esophagus. Research also indicates that smoking tobacco is a contributing cause of leukemia and cancers of the bladder, stomach, kidney and pancreas. Female smokers are at greater risk for developing cervical cancer.

3. Emphysema and Other respiratory Diseases: The respiratory diseases associated with smoking are often grouped together and referred to as "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" or "COPD". These diseases include emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthmatic bronchitis. Smoking is also linked to an increased risk of respiratory symptoms, including coughing, phlegm, wheezing and difficult breathing.

4. Heart Diseases, Strokes and Other Cardiovascular Diseases: Cardiovascular diseases are diseases and injuries of the heart, the blood vessels of the heart, and the system of blood vessels (veins and arteries) throughout the body and brain. Cardiovascular diseases caused by smoking include heart attacks and angina (coronary heart diseases), blockages in the legs (peripheral vascular diseases) and strokes (cerebrovascular diseases).

5. Premature Death: Half of all long-term smokers will eventually be killed by tobacco, and of these, half will die during middle age, losing 20 to 25 years of life. Also, a Canadian dies every 12 minutes of a tobacco related disease.