SAFETY TALK 05/08

May 26, 2008

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31 MAY - World No Tobacco Day

The aim of the day is to increase awareness globally about the dangers of
tobacco use, to encourage governments to strictly regulate tobacco
products and to get individuals to quit tobacco use.
According to the World Health Organization, every eight seconds a person dies
of a smoking-related disease. Deaths from cancer, heart attacks, lung diseases.
and complications of pregnancy caused by tobacco are set to double.
The No Smoking Day has a very clear vision and mission. That is:
Vision: To reduce tobacco related illness and death
Mission: To support smokers who want to stop through providing an opportunity
to do so, and highlighting the effective help that is available
What's in a cigarette? Do you know that there are about 4,000 chemicals in
tobacco smoke? These poisonous chemicals include:

Tar - a mixture of chemicals (formaldehyde, arsenic and cyanide to name a

few). About 70% of the tar is left in smokers' lungs when they inhale cigarette
smoke and this causes many serious lung diseases.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) - an odourless, tasteless and poisonous gas. It

makes breathing more difficult as it combines with the body's blood which
carries oxygen around the body. Oxygen is essential for our bodies to work
properly. Up to 15% of a smoker's blood may be carrying CO instead of
oxygen, which means the heart has to work harder, which can cause
coronary heart disease and circulation problems.

Acetone - widely used as a solvent, for example in nail polish remover.

Ammonia - is found in cleaning fluids.

Arsenic - a deadly poison, used in insecticides.

Formaldehyde - used to preserve dead bodies.

Cadmium - a highly poisonous metal used in batteries.

Shellac - becomes a wood varnish when mixed with a form of alcohol.

Benzene - used as a solvent in fuel and chemical production.

Cyanide - a deadly poison.

Many people have successfully quit smoking and the majority says they would like
to quit.
And, while the number of cigarette smokers has dropped over recent years, the
number of smokeless tobacco users has steadily risen. This trend is likely related
to the false belief that smokeless tobacco is safe. It is NOT. Smokeless tobacco
carries many of the same health risks as cigarettes. Some people who want to
stop smoking, but who still crave the nicotine, turn to smokeless tobacco wrongly
thinking that they are doing something good for themselves.

When smokers inhale a lit cigarette, nicotine within seconds reaches the brain and
binds to a nicotinic receptor which activates the reward pathway in the brain's
circuitry. This creates a powerful sense of satisfaction. The initial effects recede
quickly and a cycle of craving and withdrawal ensues. Applying new
understandings about the brain, biology and chemistry to smoking cessation,
researchers took a wholly new therapeutic approach to this medical condition.
THE EFFECTS OF NICOTINE

Nicotine acts as both a stimulant and depressant on your body. It increases

your bowel activity, saliva, and bronchial secretions. It stimulates the nervous
system and may cause tremors in the inexperienced user, or even convulsions
with high doses.
After stimulation, there's a phase that depresses the muscles in your
airways. As a euphoric agent, nicotine causes relaxation from stressful
situations.
On average, tobacco increases your heart rate 10 to 20 beats per minute,
and it increases your blood pressure reading by 5 to 10 mmHg (because it
constricts the blood vessels).
Nicotine may also cause sweating, nausea, and diarrhea. Nicotine elevates
the blood level of glucose (blood sugar) and increases insulin production.
Nicotine also tends to enhance platelet aggregation, which may lead to blood
clots.
Nicotine temporarily stimulates memory and alertness. People who use
tobacco frequently depend on it to help them accomplish certain tasks at
specific levels of performance. Nicotine also tends to be an appetite
suppressant. (For this reason, fear of weight gain also influences the
willingness of some people to stop smoking.)

Finally, tobacco is highly addictive. It is considered mood and behavior altering.

Tobacco is believed to have an addictive potential comparable to alcohol, cocaine,
and morphine.
HEALTH RISKS
There are many reasons to quit using tobacco. Knowing the serious health risks
may help motivate you to quit. When used over a long period, tobacco and related
chemicals such as tar and nicotine can increase your risk of:

Blood clots, which may lead to aneurysms and strokes

Cancer (especially in the lung, mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney,
pancreas, and cervix)
Coronary artery disease, including angina and heart attacks
Decreased ability to taste and smell
Delayed wound healing
High blood pressure
Lung problems such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis
Tooth and gum diseases

You have the same risks if you use smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff,
etc.) for a long time. In addition, smokeless tobacco users have a 50 times greater
risk for mouth cancer than those who do not use such products.
Illustrations

Tobacco and Vascular Disease

Tobacco and Cancer

Respiratory Cilia

Tobacco and Chemicals

Secondhand Smoke and Lung Cancer

Tobacco Health Risks

TIME TO QUIT
There are a lot of ways to quit smoking and many resources to help you. Family
members, friends, and coworkers may be supportive or encouraging, but the
desire and commitment to quit must be your own.
Most people who have been able to successfully quit smoking made at least one
unsuccessful attempt in the past. Try not to view past attempts to quit as failures,
but rather as learning experiences..
Below, some tips to help you quit smoking are listed. First and foremost, set a quit
date and quit COMPLETELY on that day. To prepare for that day:

Identify the times you are most likely to smoke. For example, do you tend to
smoke when feeling stressed? When you are out at night with friends?
While you are drinking coffee? When you are bored? While you are
driving?
Keep a diary to help you determine such risky times. Record each time you
have a cigarette, including time of day and what you are doing.
Make a plan about what you will do instead of smoking at those times that
you are most likely to smoke. For example, drink tea instead of coffee -tea may not trigger the desire for a cigarette. Or, take a walk when feeling
stressed. Remove ashtrays and cigarettes from the car.
Let all of your friends, family, and co-workers know of your plan to stop
smoking and your quit date. Just being aware that they know can be a
helpful reminder and motivator.
Prior to your quit date, start reducing your cigarette use, including
decreasing the number and strength of the cigarettes. However, DON'T do
this simply to make your diary "look good!" Get rid of all of your cigarettes
just prior to the quit date and clean out anything that smells like smoke,
such as clothes and furniture.

Like any addiction, quitting tobacco is difficult, particularly if you are acting alone.
If you join smoking cessation programs, you have a much better chance of
success. Such programs are offered by hospitals, health departments, community
centers, and work sites.
The best quit-smoking programs combine multiple strategies, including peer
support and ways to overcome potential relapse situations. Counseling by

telephone can be a very helpful reinforcement, even as effective as face-to-face

counseling.
Short-term use of the antidepressant medication along with a quit-smoking
program, may increase your success.
If you aren't successful the first time, simply look at what occurred or what didn't
work, develop new strategies, and try again. Many attempts are often necessary
to finally "beat the habit."
THE BENEFITS OF QUITTING

Within 20 minutes of quitting - your blood pressure and pulse rate drop to
normal and the temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.
Within 8 hours of quitting - your carbon monoxide levels drop and your
oxygen levels increase, both to normal levels.
Within 24 hours of quitting - your risk of a sudden heart attack
decreases.
Within 48 hours of quitting - nerve endings begin to regenerate and your
senses of smell and taste begin to return to normal.
Within 2 weeks to 3 months of quitting - your circulation improves and
walking becomes easier; even your lung function increases up to 30%.
Within 1 to 9 months of quitting - your overall energy typically increases
and symptoms like coughing, nasal congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath
diminish; also, the small hair like projections lining your lower airways begin to
function normally. This increases your lungs' ability to handle mucus, clean the
airways, and reduce infections.
Within 1 year of quitting - your risk of coronary heart disease is half that
of someone still using tobacco.
Within 5 years of quitting - the lung cancer death rate decreases by
nearly 50% compared to one pack/day smokers; the risk of cancer of the mouth
is half that of a tobacco user.
Within 10 years of quitting - your lung cancer death rate becomes similar
to that of someone who never smoked; precancerous cells are replaced with
normal cells; your risk of stroke is lowered, possibly to that of a nonuser; your
risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas
all go down.

Extra benefits: Stopping smoking isn't about losing something it's about gaining a
lot! The benefits will soon start adding up:
Have more money : Stopping a pack-a-day habit is like a Rs. 300/- a week
pay rise! You can also save money in other ways. Life, fire etc.
The money soon adds up when you stop. Think about what you could buy when
you quit?
Improve your looks: Within days of stopping smoking you'll no longer smell
of stale smoke and cigarette butts. Clean your clothes, house and car to make
your whole life sweet smelling! Your skin will be brighter and your eyes less red
and sore.
Get fitter: Your energy levels will soon soar when you stop smoking, making
it easier to run for the bus or play sports with your friends.

Taste: Food will become a pleasure again as your taste buds kick back in!
Have more time: It takes about 10 minutes to smoke a cigarette so a 10-aday smoker can save nearly 2 hours a day when they give up. That's enough time
to enjoy with the family.
Improve self confidence: Many smokers are shocked to find how quickly
they get hooked on smoking and stopping gives a real boost to confidence and
self-esteem.
You will NOT have to spend hundreds of rupees buying medicines or
supplements that will NOT help you quit smoking,
You will NOT have to put on patches, chew gums, swallow pills, use an
inhaler, or ingest any other foreign substance,
You will NOT have to follow any new and special diet, although we
recommend the intervals at which you eat throughout the day and tell you one
substance to avoid at all costs (we also want you to drink plenty of water),
The Tobacco Industry kills more people in North America from Monday to
Thursday of each week than the terrorists murdered in total on Sept. 11,
2001
90% of lung cancer occurs in those who have smoked. Each package
delivers the equivalent of one chest x-ray.
When it comes right down to it, aren't you tired of being a slave to
cigarettes?
AT THE END IT IS AGAIN REQUESTED ,
IF YOU SMOKE,

PLEASE STOP.
THANKS
WE ARE INTERESTED IN EVERYONES SAFETY ESPECIALLY YOURS